


Same Team

by norvina



Category: Lucifer (TV)
Genre: Crimes & Criminals, F/M, Not Canon Compliant, Original Character(s), Post Season 1, Sexual Tension
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-15
Updated: 2019-05-24
Packaged: 2020-03-06 02:22:35
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 23,838
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18841687
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/norvina/pseuds/norvina
Summary: Elizabeth Walker lived a simple life—if any life in Los Angeles could be described as simple. Miss Walker worked for Larmes Event Planning, which was fitting because Larmes meant tears in French and Elizabeth often cried in the confines of her studio apartment because of her wretched boss, Madam Mimi Tanner.Elizabeth Walker and Lucifer Morningstar are suspects in a missing person's case headed by Detective Chloe Decker.[does not follow canon but is set in a post-season 1 universe(ish)]





	1. Introducing Elizabeth Walker

 

 

Elizabeth Walker lived a simple life—if any life in Los Angeles could be described as simple. Miss Walker worked for Larmes Event Planning, which was fitting because Larmes meant tears in French and Elizabeth often cried in the confines of her studio apartment because of her wretched boss, Madam Mimi Tanner.

Really, her life was quite boring outside of her chaotic career. Elizabeth had an obligatory girls’ night every Thursday at the PUSH! Lounge with her three remaining friends from college, who were either married or engaged. Outside of that bit of fun, she frequented 24/8 Fitness that was conveniently next to a late-night bakery. Then, she would go home to the only thing in the world that kept her humble and sane: her dog, Jethro.

She didn’t have a clue that her life was about to be derailed.

 

Chapter 1:

_1 AM, Wednesday_

Elizabeth Walker handed the keys to her dented 2009 Honda Civic to the valet working outside of LUX, an obnoxiously upscale club that her boss frequented often. The Madam was conducting an informal meeting with the owner about a potential event at 1 A.M. and demanded Elizabeth’s brainstorming notes immediately. Elizabeth was still wearing her workout clothes from the gym—a teal sports bra and a pair of gray yoga pants that she always thought her ass looked great in.

The bouncer at the front of the line raised an eyebrow when she confronted him, breathlessly pleading to skip the hoards of people so she could just go home. “Look, my boss is inside and she’s going to fire me if I don’t deliver these notes to her—” Elizabeth shakes a black journal that is covered in sticky notes and filled with an assortment of methodologically placed tabs—“immediately. Can you let me in?”

The buff and stylish man considered her for a moment, “Boss’s name?”

Elizabeth tried not to roll her eyes, “Madam M—”

“Oh, damn, I’m sorry. Yeah, you can go inside.” The bouncer looked at her with sympathy and let her pass through the rope. She heard annoyed protests from the barely clothed girls that were waiting in line. Elizabeth followed the people that had previously been let in knowing that she looked like a total misfit.

Her alabaster skin was flushed, giving her cheeks a light pink color and her blonde hair was coming undone from the tight bun on top of her head. Fortunately, Elizabeth was pretty much invisible around her boss. All she had to do was hand over some notes and then she could go home to her lazy dog, Jethro and apologize with a hundred Milk-bones.

It wasn’t hard to find the Madam. Mimi Tanner had drawn a crowd around her and the handsome (but weird) owner. It was her attempt to stay relevant in the tabloids for as long as possible. Elizabeth pushed through all of the sweaty bodies, gripping her journal to her chest. All she had to do was give it to her boss and pray that the Madam had the sense to bring it back to the office tomorrow afternoon when she finally recovered from her hangover. If not, Elizabeth had learned not to get too attached to anything in Mimi Tanner’s presence. The journal and ideas were replaceable. Her promised promotion was not.

Madam Mimi Tanner was planning to take a step back from the event planning industry. The Madam had inherited the company from her father and really only maintained the uphill success because she was willing to sleep with whoever to land a contract and the Larmes brand used to mean something in L.A. before her father’s passing.

Elizabeth offered a way to keep the company alive and to help it thrive. In secret, she had been running all of the Madam’s accounts behind the scenes since she started her internship two years ago.

Elizabeth cleared her throat, “Madam.”

The Madam and the club owner were making out on the black leather couch. Mimi Tanner looked extremely unprofessional as she tried to mount the owner’s lap as if she wasn’t pushing 30 and she hadn’t labeled this a business meeting.

Elizabeth had the sinking feeling that her poor journal was about to be used as a sex prop.

“Ah, took you long enough.” The Madam finally detached herself from the club owner, who didn’t even have the decency to be ashamed about the corrupted business meeting. “I’ve been drinking so much—” The Madam released a false giggle, “—I have to refresh myself on my ideas for notable events in L.A.” She took Elizabeth’s journal and started to flip through it without much care for the fragile pieces of paper.

Elizabeth looked around at the venue. It was the first time that she had been inside the club. Most of the time, she just picked Mimi up off the corner or stayed with her until an Uber or town car arrived. LUX was extremely different from PUSH! Lounge, mostly because PUSH! died around the same time Manny MUA and Laura Lee’s careers did. People gravitated towards different trends and new clubs with even dumber names.

LUX was different from the other clubs, though. Ever since it’s opening, people have filed through every single night—even on Sundays. It was the desired destination for any type of event because there would undoubtedly be a crowd.

Elizabeth didn’t know much about the owner other than the ridiculous alter-ego that he paraded around to attract women with similar daddy issues. She knew that the Madam was infatuated with his bank account and that she spent most of her nights here trying to get his attention. Elizabeth knew that she didn’t like him very much, solely based on the fact that he seemed to enjoy Mimi’s company.

She was so distracted by her thoughts and her survey of the club that didn’t see his extended hand or hear his first introduction. It wasn’t until Mimi said, “Miss Walker, don’t be rude to our gracious host. I’m so sorry, Luce.”

Elizabeth straightened her posture, “I apologize, Mr. Morningstar.”

“Oh, love, pretty women do not apologize.” Mr. Morningstar said with a smirk on his face that made Elizabeth incredibly uneasy. His hand was still extended, so she went to shake it. Lucifer Morningstar grabbed her hand and pressed his debased lips against her sweaty skin. Elizabeth couldn’t help but stare at her boss, who looked mortified. Elizabeth would pay for this later. “Join us.”

“She can’t.” Mimi piped in, “And anyway, we have business to handle. You can leave Miss Walker.”

“Ah, yes, business.” Lucifer chuckled, finally relaxing against the couch again. “Well, maybe another time?”

Elizabeth didn’t answer as she turned around and left the club. The last thing she needed was to get on Mimi’s bad side.

 

_10 AM, Thursday_

Kitty Parker, an elite socialite, was pacing back and forth in the Larmes Event Planning lobby as she furiously tapped on her phone. Miss Parker was a childhood friend of Mimi Tanner and acted just as entitled as she did because she had been in a few B-List films and her daddy owned a yacht and a jet.

Larmes Event Planning was contracted to plan her lavish wedding with fifty-year-old film producer, Marco Hinson. Hinson’s career was an embarrassment until he got lucky after he sold the merchandising rights to Wal-Mart for one of his “sure-to-fail” films. The film, Diary of an Avocado, became a social media icon and later became one of the most circulated memes of all time. Hinson became an overnight millionaire and immediately started dating Kitty Parker.

Not being a looker of any kind, he proposed shortly after. Rumor has it, Kitty was so worried that her father was going to cut her off after her third DUI, that she said yes out of survival. Either way, Kitty wanted a huge L.A. wedding and had the budget to make it happen.

Unfortunately, Mimi Tanner had been MIA since Elizabeth left her at LUX Wednesday morning. Kitty only wanted to work with Mimi directly, even though Elizabeth was putting all of the blood, sweat, and tears into the project.

Elizabeth was sitting at her small desk going over vendor charts. When Mimi returned from wherever the hell she had gone, she wanted to have everything in order. Kitty wanted a Japanese-Mexican fusion menu, which was Elizabeth’s absolute nightmare.

She watched as Kitty stomped her foot against the ground and then returned to the list. Kitty wanted the whitest doves for the end of the ceremony, and she also wanted a carriage. Essentially, she was chasing the Princess wedding that every little girl imagines when they are young.

Kitty opens her mouth, most likely to throw another insult Elizabeth’s way when someone walks inside the office. A short, dirty blonde-haired woman in a reasonable pants suit took in her surroundings. There were the promotional poster of previous events hanging on the wall at the entrance and a curved reception desk that Elizabeth utilized because she liked listening to the clients.

Eventually, the woman’s eyes landed on Elizabeth and she straightened her blazer.

“Are you Elizabeth Walker?”

“Yes,” Elizabeth said hesitantly, putting down the tablet that was in her hands. The vendor list would have to wait.

The woman was very observant, at least that’s what Elizabeth was getting from her attention to all the minuscule details in the office. She paused to look at the fresh flowers that Elizabeth picked up from her favorite florist—a combination of spring-colored flowers featuring hydrangeas (which were Elizabeth’s favorite flowers). And when she made her way to the reception desk, she dragged her finger across Elizabeth’s business card deck.

“I’m Detective Chloe Decker with LAPD. I’d like to ask you some questions about your boss, Mimi Tanner.” The Detective fixed Elizabeth with a look that made Elizabeth uneasy. Mimi was a total mess, but she had never been in trouble with the law, especially on a level that involved a detective.

Before Elizabeth could respond, Kitty interrupted her. “What’s wrong with Mimi? Oh my god!”

“Mimi Tanner has been reported missing by her maid. It hasn’t been 48 hours, so this visit is strictly informal. Miss Tanner is a friend of the Chief.” The Detective said, a pensive frown working its way onto her facial features. Elizabeth was cautious about the detective’s overall attitude. “You’re her assistant, correct?”

Elizabeth furrowed her brow as she frowned. “I’m an associate but Mimi likes to treat me as her assistant, yes.”

“Rough relationship?”

Elizabeth squinted at the detective, trying to figure out why she was casting around implications so early in the non-investigation. If Mimi was anywhere, she was probably on a jet with Lucifer Morningstar, continuing the party for Wednesday. “I would say complicated. Mimi is demanding, but so is the industry.”

“When was the last time you saw her?”

She couldn’t help but sigh because of the accusatory tone the detective was taking. It was uncalled for. “I saw her Wednesday morning around one. She called me and wanted my notes on our prospective events for the upcoming season.”

“And you dropped everything and went?” The detective was surprised.

“As I said, Mimi is demanding, and I was just leaving the gym anyway.”

“Where did you meet her?” Detective Decker pulled out a notepad and started to take note of her thoughts. Elizabeth was feeling increasingly uneasy about the whole ordeal.

“A club. LUX. Mimi was having a meeting with the owner, Mr.—”

“Morningstar?” The detective perked up, “Uh, LAPD is familiar with him. What happened after you went to LUX?”

Elizabeth shrugged, “I gave her my journal and I left. That’s it.”

“Do you have an alibi?”

“I’m sorry, do I need one?” Elizabeth asked angrily, “You said this was informal questioning but you seem to have made a judgment already about me.”

Detective Decker wasn’t pleased with Elizabeth’s outburst. “It’s standard procedure, Miss Walker. I think I have everything I need. Don’t leave town.”


	2. Favors

Chapter 2:

Elizabeth Walker knew that Detective Decker _thought_ she had something on her. It was obvious in her questions, obvious in the way the detective tried to be casual but authoritative. Elizabeth also knew those type of assumptions did not come from a Google search.

 Mimi was missing and someone told the police to question Elizabeth.

Of course, she wasn’t satisfied with Mimi’s work ethic, or lack thereof, but kidnapping her? It seemed a little extreme under any circumstance. The only logical thing Elizabeth could do was figure out where Mimi happened to be before things got worse and Larmes was the face of a PR scandal that no one could recover from.

Elizabeth might be the brains behind the entire operation, but clients solely requested Larmes’ services because of the name Mimi’s father created for the company. Elizabeth didn’t have enough saved to branch out on her own. Without Mimi, her career would suffer.

Elizabeth knew that she was going to have to play detective—discreetly, of course.

Kitty Parker had an entire meltdown before she left the Larmes, but she didn’t seem to be thinking of anyone but herself and her upcoming wedding. Kitty wasn’t the brightest tool in the shed, so she didn’t pick up on Detective Decker’s accusation. Instead, she figured that Mimi had gone missing solely to destroy her wedding out of jealousy.

Apart from the promiscuous club owner, Mimi never took anything seriously. Lucifer Morningstar was this month’s conquest. Next month, it would be a different billionaire. Despite coming from money, Mimi was always chasing the paper. It was the only thing that she could commit to besides clubbing and the occasional European getaway.

Elizabeth asked Kitty to return tomorrow morning with all of her new wishes for the wedding and a final date. Desperate, Kitty agreed and then left.

After she was alone, Elizabeth tried to call Mimi but reached her voicemail each time. “Madam,” She rolled her eyes at the pretentious nickname, “It’s Elizabeth. A detective stopped by looking for you. I’m worried. Call me back.”

After her voicemail, she attempted to call back one more time, but she got Mimi’s voicemail again.

For the rest of the day, she worked on her client’s pieces and tried to be as productive as possible. She opened InDesign and started a fact sheet layout for an up and coming artist. The Madam never wanted to take on artist, but it was truly Elizabeth’s passion. When Mimi decided that she was more interested in yachting and social events, Elizabeth kept Larmes running on the client’s willingness to be featured.

The process of creating an accurate and relevant fact sheet was typically challenging because of the fluctuations in social media followings. Also, including relevant design methods that don’t overshadow the artist’s work but simultaneously holding a standard.

After she laid the framework for the fact sheet, she moved onto designing a few social media postings for some events with art galleries and clubs. She attached the postings to secure emails and sent them to her clients for feedback. For the most part, she used Canva for social media posts because it was easier, and the graphics were already paid for. The main goal was to have entertaining posts because everyone hated standard advertisements.

Elizabeth knew that she was just trying to run out the clock before she had to delve into her new role. At 5 PM, she finally left the office and headed home. Jethro was waiting at the door and looked positively excited for her to be home.

Jethro was a black Labrador retriever and exceptionally lazy unless the concept of food was brought up. Elizabeth hired a dog walker a while back because of how hectic her hours were. The walker often sent her pictures of Jethro napping in different parts of the dog park. In truth, if it wasn’t for Jethro, Elizabeth would be extremely lonely.

She greeted him with a healthy ear scratch and proceeded to walk into the kitchen section of her studio apartment. It wasn’t much but LA prices were traumatizing to anyone’s bank account. Jethro wagged his tail as she drank from a carton of orange juice.

“I’ve got to take a shower.” She told the happy pup, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. She laughed, “Got a date with the devil.”

Ultimately, Elizabeth knew that the best way to find Mimi was to track down Lucifer Morningstar. He was the last person that saw her and probably the one with her at the moment. Detective Decker seemed to know all about him, so she most likely already paid him a visit.

It didn’t matter.

The detective didn’t _know_ Mimi.

_7 PM, Thursday_

“I look like a cheap hooker.” Elizabeth said in horror as she stood in front of the body length mirror in an emerald halter dress with a _plunging_ neckline and a massive slit. Elizabeth wasn’t even sure she was legally allowed to say she was wearing a dress. Would she get cited for indecent exposure? It was the type of dress that did allot for a bra, which was a dangerous fashion choice considering Elizabeth was busty—a curse, really.

Elizabeth decided to stick with her signature bun, although it was a lot neater than Wednesday mornings up-do. In an attempt to stick with trends, and to emulate Mimi and all the other girls that lined up outside of LUX, she did a dark smoky eye with a silver lid. It made her beautiful green eyes pop and complimented the dress.

At first, she was going to accessorize with a choker, but she thought that might be overdoing it, so she put on the silver locket her mother bought her when she graduated college for good luck. A little bit of nude lip gloss later and she was ready to face Mr. Morningstar and find out what happened to Mimi.

Nightclubs don’t usually open until 10 PM, but there was probably a line forming already. Elizabeth grabbed her car keys, kissed Jethro goodnight and left her apartment building with high hopes.

And a little bit of fear.

What if something malicious happened to Mimi and Lucifer Morningstar was behind it?

When she got into her car, she hooked her iPhone to the USB jack. Her dashboard glowed blue and she flipped on the heated seats. It was her method of relaxation before facing Mr. Morningstar. If she’s being honest, her entire plan is completely bonkers.

What if Lucifer Morningstar was a bad man?

What if he did something to Mimi?

The drive to LUX wasn’t that bad, but she was definitely right about the line. Beautiful women were standing outside of the building, mindlessly flirting with the bouncer and the valets. Anything to get inside the club and closer to the owner. Elizabeth suddenly felt ridiculous in her outfit.

What was she even going to do? It’s not like she could just walk up to Mr. Morningstar and demand to know information about Mimi. He was one of the most talked about men in the social circuits. Everyone either wanted to sleep with him or wanted to be his friend. As far as contacts go, Lucifer Morningstar was way out of her league.   
  
Elizabeth turned into the line of cars and patiently waited for a valet to come to her window. She listened to an entire song before she moved up in the line and was finally greeted by a young man who looked as if his entire life had been made.

Okay, she really regretted the dress at this point. The slit up the side almost exposed her entire backside. Elizabeth carefully exited the car with the assistance of the valet. She noticed how the other girls stared at her, obviously making fun of her car.

“Um, here you go.” Elizabeth said as she handed over her keys. The large fluffy dog keychain jangled in the process, almost adding to her embarrassment.

Her confidence didn’t boost as she started to walk to the back of the line. Elizabeth could tell that she was starting to panic by the tightness in her throat. _Fuck,_ she internally cussed as she made the executive decision to just turn around.

As soon as she spun on her heels, she collided with something hard and warm. Elizabeth heard a soft and dramatic _oompf_ in response and then strong hands on her shoulders. “Now, what would you be doing at my club, tonight?” The seductive draw of Mr. Morningstar’s voice only added to her embarrassment.

The sight of his curiosity was a little bit undoing. He seemed so positively focused on her as if no one else existed in his vast world. Elizabeth could feel the blush rising to her cheeks again. Mr. Morningstar was wearing a black suit that probably contained an expensive label on a seam _somewhere._ Ironically, the shirt he was wearing today was as green as her dress. As green as her eyes.

“The Detective stopped by today. You see, I work for the LAPD as a consultant and the detective often comes to me for advice.” He seemed to be bragging about his position with the police. The sinking feeling that she felt earlier returned.

_Of course, of course, that’s why Detective Decker knew him…he’s a colleague. A partner._

_They’ll never suspect him._

“The Detective thinks that _you_ have something to do with the beloved Madam’s disappearance and then you show up _here._ ” Mr. Morningstar’s brown eyes are piercing. It’s hypnotizing almost. It reminds her of the time she ate an edible with her college roommate and thought she discovered the meaning of life. Her entire body felt numb under his gaze.

Elizabeth licked her lips, “I came here to find Mimi. I don’t know why this Detective Decker thinks I’m involved, but I promise, I’m not. I thought Mimi might be with you, enjoying the party.”

“Even when she didn’t show up to work?”

“Mimi never shows up to work.” Elizabeth rolled her eyes before she could think better of herself. She covered her mouth when she realized how wholly unprofessional it was to reveal Mimi’s actual self to a potential client. “You know because she’s so busy working from home—”

He chuckles, “You’re a terrible liar. How positively refreshing in the city of _lies._ ”

Elizabeth suddenly realizes the implications of the conversation. Mr. Morningstar had no idea where Mimi went. She didn’t know why, but she could tell he was being as genuine as a man with a devil persona could be.

_What if she’s really hurt?_

“Do you know why the detective thinks I’m responsible?” Elizabeth asks, but then she’s blinded by the flash of a camera.

“Lucifer! Lucifer! Look over here! Who is the woman?” A paparazzo was yelling from the sidewalk, snapping pictures of the pair as if his next meal depended on it. Mr. Morningstar quickly turned Elizabeth away from the camera and towards the entrance of LUX.

The entire time, he was furiously muttering comments about hell and a special place for some paparazzi members. He directed her towards the elevator, and she followed willingly because she was shocked. The elevator was small but in a cozy way.

She would be lying if she said that being this close to an attractive man wasn’t stimulating. He was one of the sexiest men alive. It would be completely ridiculous not to recognize it. Mr. Morningstar caught her staring, which seemed to change his previously agitated mood.

Elizabeth cleared her throat, “I need to find Mimi and set things right before Larmes suffers. You were the last one to see her.”

“Playing cop, are you?” Mr. Morningstar faced her, taking in her appearance with a look of approval. “I do have some handcuffs, but they may need testing.”

Elizabeth squeaked in shock and try to cover it up with a cough.

“Tell me, Miss Walker, did you get dressed up on my account?”

The heat was rushing to her face, but she still managed a semi-intelligent response. “Don’t flatter yourself. It was more of a when in Rome situation. I had to be sure that I would be let in the door.”

“You could wear a potato sack and still be let in the door.” Mr. Morningstar said under his breath. No one had ever said anything like that to her before. Elizabeth didn’t think she was ugly, per se, just wholly average in every way possible.

Elizabeth gasped, “You remembered my name.”

It was stupid of her to say out loud, but she only realized it after the fact. He smiled like a cat who had eaten the prized bird like he had all intentions of making her his next meal. It was just enough to make her heart speed up.

“Hard to forget.”

“Because of Mimi?”

“No, because of you.”

The elevator dinged and the doors opened. Mr. Morningstar walked out but waited for her to join him. “Make yourself comfortable. I’ll get us some drinks and then we can discuss the allusive Madam Tanner.”

Elizabeth eyed the leather couch for a moment before she decided to take a seat. The penthouse was modern, dark…maybe even a little seductive. Her blush refused to let up as she watched grab two scotch glasses and search for the right bottle. For once, Elizabeth could see why Mimi liked him so much. He had a way about him that was unlike any other man. Absolutely timeless. A ride worth taking, even if it left you with a broken heart and deep seeded emotional scars.

Lucifer finally turned around and smiled when he noticed she was watching him. “Like what you see Miss Walker?”

She chose not to respond so she did not incriminate herself. He joined her after he poured two fingers of scotch each. Elizabeth decided to hold off on the drinking—she did have to drive home after this.

“When was the last time you saw Mimi?”

“Shortly after you left. I’m afraid I annoyed the Madam to the point that she was no longer considering LUX for _your_ delicious ideas.” He took a seat across from her. “That journal you so graciously brought her was yours, correct?”

“Yes.”

Mr. Morningstar takes a sip of his drink, “She abuses you.”

“Mr. Morningstar, it’s the business.”

“Call me Lucifer.”

“Okay, Lucifer. It’s the business. I started interning for Mimi my senior year of college. I’ve worked there for two years as an associate. I’m only 24 and I handle accounts that people my age would kill to access. It’s not all bad.” Elizabeth sets down her clutch on the couch as she starts to get more comfortable in his presence.

Lucifer considers her words, “Mimi has a reputation of being…”

“Demanding.”

“Not the word I was searching for, but sure…demanding.” Lucifer frowns, “The detective painted a picture earlier. The LAPD thinks that Mimi Tanner is hurt or dead. They think the jealous associate is the best suspect.” He holds out a hand in defense, “You don’t strike me as a killer.”

“Mimi is difficult, but I would never hurt her. I don’t know what information they’re basing these claims off of, but I need Mimi to help me launch my career and start my own place. Her absolute laziness has given me so much free will—” Elizabeth stopped, cleared her throat, “I wouldn’t hurt her.”

“It looks like you need my help, then.”

“Excuse me?”

“Chloe Decker is one of the greatest minds that I have ever encountered, and she thinks you had a hand in all of this. You need my help. A favor.”

Elizabeth slides back against the couch, “A favor?”

“Quid pro quo, really. I help you clear your name and then you do something for me when I ask.” He takes another long sip of his drink.

“What is this?”

“What do you mean?”

“Favors? Really?” Elizabeth couldn’t help but laugh. It was the most ridiculous thing that she ever heard.

“Oh, darling, I am all too serious. You may not realize it now, but you need me. And I know just what I want in return.” He smirks at her and Elizabeth’s fear spikes. _He’s serious. Oh my god._

Elizabeth doesn’t mean to stutter, “W-what do you want from me?”

“A date, Miss Walker.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, where do you think this story is going to go?
> 
> What would you like to see?
> 
> What's your desire?


	3. deals

Chapter 3:

If she lived in a perfect reality, she could have told Lucifer Morningstar to go straight to hell with his _favor._ Elizabeth even questioned if she was overreacting about the LAPD’s presence in her life. Surely, if she wasn’t guilty, she had nothing to worry about.

_It’s not like the LAPD has ever put away the wrong man before…_

Elizabeth feared the police, really. Feared the prospect of an investigation.

It was because she was raised in a strange family in the great state of South Carolina or because she had a past. Elizabeth had moved to L.A. to reinvent herself, much like others do and up until now, she was confident that her past would stay buried and she could continue her quiet and simple life.

Not that she would ever admit it, but she knew it was only a matter of time before Detective Decker pulled her background and saw who Elizabeth used to be. It made her the perfect suspect. The LAPD wouldn’t spend unnecessary hours trying to find a different suspect when one with such a delectable and violent past would do the trick.

Elizabeth swallowed thickly, “I accept.”

Lucifer straightened his cuff links and relaxed into the chair he was sitting in. “Ah, that wasn’t hard, was it?”

Blindsided by her sudden thoughts, Elizabeth simply agreed that it hadn’t been that hard as if she was some submissive pleasing her master. It was a habit that she picked up during her wretched childhood. Her voice was so small when she said, “No s-.” Before she could say _that_ word, Elizabeth snapped her jaw shut and looked away from the man.

It piqued Lucifer’s interest, to say the least. “Well, aren’t you a good little girl?”

“I need to go now.” Elizabeth said in response, standing up quickly. Her legs peeled off the leather couch in a sickening, unsexy way that she hoped had gone unnoticed. Club dresses were so impractical. The woman was trying to grasp a logical thought as she walked towards the elevator. Her shocked host was still sitting in his chair, watching the amber liquid in his glass spin around. She turned around, “Tomorrow we should meet and compare notes.”

“Let me walk you down.” Lucifer moved like a feline as he exited his chair. It was elegant, really. He carried the scotch glass with him, never saying anything about her untouched drink. Elizabeth nodded and let him call the elevator when he approached her.

He allowed her to walk in first and Elizabeth had the sneaking feeling it was because he was checking out her assets. Even she could admit it was a nice ass. When Elizabeth turned to face him, he didn’t look ashamed at all for checking her out. He smiled, “Yes, tomorrow sounds perfect although I wish we could continue this well into the morning.”

“Are you always so upfront with women?”

“I like to be as honest as possible.”

Elizabeth snorted. It was a nasty habit she thought she had broken years ago. “I don’t think there is any real honesty in the chase. You can’t really be attracted to every woman you take to bed.” _To me._

“Oh, but I am.” He assured her with a wink. “I love all forms of pleasure. I love sex. I love women. I love men. Even you, a vision of poise, must know how luscious carnal pleasure is at the end of the day.”

Her blush returned, if it had ever left, “Not really.”

“Bad lovers?” He took a sip of his scotch, confidence exuding off of him.

“Actually, no experience.” Elizabeth shrugged because she wasn’t ashamed of her virginity. It wasn’t as if she was incapable of having sex, she just didn’t want to have sex with a total stranger and her career made it hard for her to find meaningful connections.

Lucifer choked.

“I’m sorry, excuse me?” Lucifer said after he caught his breath. “I mean, a virgin, wow.”

_I need to get out of this elevator._

Elizabeth tried to be cool about the situation. “I never saw the need in—”

“You never saw the _need?_ ” Her words seemed to trigger something in Lucifer that she couldn’t really describe. “You never saw the need?!” He shouted in absolute horror as if being a virgin was the epitome of being an absolute loser. “But you’re gorgeous.”

Elizabeth rolled her eyes as the elevator dinged, signaling that their night was officially over (at least in her mind). “I didn’t say that there weren’t offers. I just wasn’t interested in hooking up with guys I barely know or even worse, an idiot. I’m not really looking for a whirlwind romance. I’m no Anastasia Steele. I just want it to mean something. I want to look back on the first time fondly, not in embarrassment.”

Lucifer seemed beside himself with her admission, but his mood changed when he saw the crowd of paparazzi members staked out of LUX. “Those rats have been trying to get a story out of me ever since—well, never mind.” He reached for her hand, “I’ll take you out the back way unless I can change your mind about leaving. I would _love_ to continue this conversation.”

“Even if I was interested in continuing this mortifying conversation, and I’m not, I have a dog.” Elizabeth shrugged, “I might keep late hours because of my job, but I always make sure I come home. He wouldn’t understand otherwise.”

Lucifer grimaced, “Turned down over a dog? That’s a new one.”

“I need my keys,” Elizabeth said before they completely abandoned the valet service. “Um, they’re kind of obnoxious. There’s a huge fluffy puppy ball. It’s a backup charger.”

He looks at her like he’s just met the most interesting person in the world. It’s terrifying. Lucifer pulls one of the valet’s inside, the same one that had handled her car earlier, and pointed to Elizabeth. “I need her keys.”

“Right away, sir.”

She can hear the embarrassing jangle of her keys when he returns and watches Lucifer clutch them to stop the incessant noise. “Where is she parked?”

“Close to the front of the lot, sir.”

“That will do.”

Lucifer resumes leading her out the back way towards the parking lot. They don’t resume conversation as the walk, which is a relief, to say the least. Elizabeth hated the idea of continuing a conversation about her virginity or Mr. Morningstar’s sudden and weird want for her. It didn’t make sense for him to want her.

_He must lack standards._

As they walked out into the parking lot, Lucifer pressed the unlock button to find her car instead of asking her what she drove. It a parking lot filled with Porsches and Ferraris; her Honda surely stood out.

“Hmm, a practical car for a practical woman.”

Elizabeth rolled her eyes again.

“Call Larmes tomorrow to schedule a meeting so we can discuss Mimi. I’m going to pull together all the information I have about her and her friends, then maybe we can come to some conclusions about where she could be.” Elizabeth fiddled with the ends of her dress, “Goodnight, Mr. Morningstar.”

“Goodnight, Miss Walker. A pleasure.” He took her hand, pressing his lips to her skin just as he had done the night she first met him. “Be good, won’t you?”

Elizabeth nodded, not knowing what else to really say.

_Friday, 12 PM_

It had officially been 48 hours, which meant that the case was finally open and public record., LAPD didn’t waste any time plastering Mimi’s face across every available news outlet. They even managed to find a picture where she was sober. Elizabeth spent a long time looking at the news coverage of her disappearance and the comments under posts.

People were praying for Mimi to be found safely. Absolute strangers.

It was just the type of media coverage that Mimi would love.

Elizabeth assumed once clients found out that the Madam was missing, they would pull their contracts with Larmes. She had been trying to do damage control all day, but most people were confident that Mimi would either return or that the events would go off without a hitch regardless. At this point, Elizabeth wished she had the same confidence.

Every time she heard someone approaching the office, whether it be UPS or her Postmates delivery, her stomach dropped. Elizabeth knew that eventually, the LAPD would show up with some questions that she wasn’t prepared to answer. Detective Decker would assert her bias on the case and then a picture of her mug shot would be right next to Mimi’s sober picture on the news.

How was the work going to get done with one person missing and the other in jail? Mimi hadn’t hired any interns for the summer season yet, and the other event planner that worked in Larmes  Christie Novack was on maternity leave. Everything was completely screwed in the worst ways possible.

Elizabeth was sipping on her vanilla bean Frappuccino when she heard the door open. She was prepared to see Detective Decker with a slew of officers. Instead, she was greeted by Lucifer Morningstar looking absolutely winded. “Good morning, kitten.” He breathed heavily, the nickname sounded like a sarcastic quip more than an adoring pet name. “The detective is going to request for you to come down to the station. I wouldn’t resist. Do you have a lawyer?”

“The station?”

“Yes, seems she found some evidence that suggests foul play.”

“Foul play?” Elizabeth put down her drink and sat back in her chair. “I-I don’t understand how this is happening to me. I don’t understand why this is happening to Mimi.”

Lucifer looked outside of the window behind the guest couch, “Don’t worry. We made a deal. Nothing’s going to happen to you.”

“That’s not the point! Some accusations one can never recover from. Unless we find Mimi, the second I get hauled into questioning, my career is over.” Elizabeth rested her head in her hands and tried to calm down. What if she lost everything she had been working towards since she was a freshman in college? How was any of this fair? Her poor hands were shaking with anxiety.

Elizabeth didn’t notice Lucifer had crossed the room until he swiveled her to face him. He was crouched down before her. He placed his hand against her soft skin and wiped away one of her angry tears.

She hadn’t even realized that she was crying before him.

Lucifer spoke slowly and calmly, “I do not lie. I will get you out of this situation and we will do our best to find Mimi. Do not worry your pretty head about it, Miss Walker. You have done absolutely nothing wrong.”

“I should have stayed and drove her home.”

“She told you to leave.” Lucifer was stroking her blonde hair. Elizabeth’s hair wasn’t in a bun or a ponytail, which was truly a sight for anyone that knew her. She didn’t know why she was suddenly compelled to look her best. Or maybe she did. “There was nothing you could do. The detective will see that you are innocent. Until then, I’m going to call my lawyer.”

“Don’t guilty people involve lawyers?”

He smirks, “Don’t fall victim to crime television propaganda. Smart people involve lawyers.”

Detective Chloe Decker walks in on them in that precarious position. Lucifer down on his knees in front of a flushed Elizabeth, hidden by a desk. He jumps at the sound of her entrance, standing straight up and adjusting his suit. “Ah, Detective, just having a chat with my new friend, Elizabeth. She’s innocent.”

“Lucifer, you are a consultant for the LAPD. You cannot communicate with suspects behind my back.” The detective seemed extremely aggravated by the scene that she had walked in on. It was a curious aggravation, though. Elizabeth couldn’t tell if she was mad that he was clearly interfering with a case, or mad that he had called Elizabeth his friend and proclaimed her innocence.

Elizabeth took the moment to ask the detective directly, “I’m a suspect?”

“We have some questions that we would like to ask you down at the station, Miss Walker.”

“She wants her lawyer.”

“Her lawyer? Do you have something to hide, Miss Walker?”

“No, I—”

“Then, why do you need a lawyer? This is just a friendly conversation about your boss, Mimi Tanner.”

Lucifer rolled his eyes, “Cut the bull, Detective. It’s never a friendly conversation when you speak with a suspect. You and Detective Douche would convict the wrong person, here. Elizabeth Walker is not your girl.”

“Lucifer, can we speak outside?”

Lucifer sighed but eventually went with the detective. Elizabeth started preparing her purse with all the things she would need if she spent a substantial amount of time at the police department. She included her sketching pencils, paper, and electronic tablet, as well as her charger.

Elizabeth didn’t know how much time she had before the pair returned but she called Kitty Parker anyway. Elizabeth got her voicemail, which wasn’t surprising, “Good afternoon, Miss Parker. It’s Elizabeth Walker. I know we agreed to meet today, but I’m unsure if I will be able to stick with our original plan—” The detective and Lucifer walked back in, Lucifer looking chastised and maybe a little agitated. “—I am so incredibly sorry and I hope that we can resolve this issue as soon as possible. If you need anything, don’t hesitate to call my cell at (919) 555-0439 or shoot me an email.” Elizabeth put the office phone down and stared expectantly at the detective and Mr. Morningstar.

“You seemed to have stepped into Mimi’s shoes without a problem.” The detective commented.

“Let’s get this over with,” Lucifer said, casting a glare in the direction of the detective.


	4. interviews

The interrogation room was exactly as Elizabeth expected to be—an intimidating cage. It was void of any color not on the grayscale. The chair was cold and uncomfortable, just as the room happened to be. Everything about the room was designed to be uncomfortable, especially the two-way glass.

It seemed that Elizabeth was paying for Lucifer’s repeated outbursts because one hour quickly turned to two, and soon enough, it was nearly 5 PM. Her tablet was on low battery, not that she felt motivated to design anything. Her clients weren’t aware of her being dragged into the police department, yet, but she was waiting for the storm.

Elizabeth had about 50% battery which was a relief because there weren’t any available outlets and not having _some_ battery would be a disaster. Distantly, she wondered if she could get food delivered to the precinct. Elizabeth was absolutely starving.

Instead, she opened her dog walking app. It was difficult, at first, to trust other people around Jethro, especially when she came from such a small town. Jethro meant the world to her. She didn’t want anything to happen to him, naturally. Still, she had to do something because being locked up in her apartment was preposterous. He needed to get out and enjoy the dog parks and all the wonderful things about Los Angeles.

Every day she scheduled a walk with the same dog walker at noon and she had an as needed slot for 5 PM and 11 PM depending on whether or not Mimi was feeling benevolent. Elizabeth tapped the appointment button and scheduled, adding a note that she needs Jethro to be fed. She felt extremely guilty, wished she was a more responsible pet owner.

Elizabeth finally heard the door ease open, so she set down her phone. She wanted to show that she was giving the detective her full attention. It was Decker and an attractive man—another detective. He had an arrogant stride to him, and Elizabeth couldn’t help but assume this was the Detective Douche Lucifer had described earlier.

Detective Decker slammed a file down on the table and then took a seat. “Carina Beauchamp?”

Elizabeth bristled, although she was prepared for it. It was only a matter of time before her birthname was brought to the table. It’s not like she had taken great strides to hide it. Everything was done legally, of course, there would be a record. She tried to breathe steadily, “I don’t go by that name anymore. I had it legally changed.”

“Why, Carina?” Detective Decker was taunting her.

“Don’t call me that.” Elizabeth snapped and then grasped her composure. She found herself digging her fingernails into her palms under the interrogation table. The last thing she wanted to do was be questioned about her old life. The idea of being associated with that name made her physically ill. She changed it for a reason.

And she feared that this unwanted attention would bring everything to surface. Her mother was the only person that knew where she had ended up, about her new life, _everything._ Even she had the decency to stay away, though. Elizabeth reached for the locket around her neck out of habit.  

Detective Douche sneered, “It seems that you have a temper, Miss Beauchamp. Did your boss get on the wrong side of all that pent-up rage?”

“Let me guess, you pulled my record.” Elizabeth laughed uncharacteristically. The detectives were bringing out something she thought she buried. Elizabeth was supposed to soft-spoken and calm.  It was her dream to be a professional lady. Yet, the pain was coming to surface. “You found out that my father is one _son of a bitch,_ huh? You found out that my associations back home consist of drug traffickers, abusers, and the occasional violent criminal, yet I would call them brothers, sisters, and cousins, etcetera….” Elizabeth rolled her eyes, “So, now, you’re going to do everything you can to make this absurd case fit me because somehow, being born into a dysfunctional family makes me inheritably _evil._ I moved away. I started a new life for myself. I am _not_ like them.”

Her little confession momentarily left the detectives speechless. Elizabeth knew that it was better to be as honest as possible in front of Detective Douche. Maybe he would see that his partner was working with some type of vendetta against her.  Still, in the back of her mind, she wondered why she hadn’t seen Lucifer, yet. Elizabeth had a feeling that he was relatively close, maybe even looking at her through the mirror.

Was he concerned that he wouldn’t be able to keep his promise?

Would he still want to take her out on a date if he knew how damaged she was?

Not that she wanted to go on a date with him.

Detective Decker rolled her shoulders back and opened up the file to show Elizabeth’s first and only mugshot along with a list of dates that she had been suspended from Summercreek High School. Elizabeth sighed as she picked up the picture and looked at the girl she was nearly six years ago. Her blonde hair was filled with teal streaks and her bangs were atrocious. Elizabeth was so glad that her makeup game had improved. “Are you forgetting your own encounter with the police, Miss Beauchamp?”

How could she forget?

Elizabeth exhaled as calmly as she could, “I got into a fight or two when I was a minor.”

“And when you were 18?”

Elizabeth stiffened at the reminder of what happened when she was 18. It was the most unfair of circumstances. “My sister killed herself. I punched my stepmother at the funeral. The charges were dropped.”

Her sister was a rebel child, always had been. Georgia went to a party with an older boy and he left her because she refused to have sex with him. On her way home, she was picked up by a man and he raped her. Her stepmother denied her therapy and posted what happened all over social media for the attention. Behind closed doors, she would tell Georgia it was her fault that she was raped. Georgia took her own life.

Elizabeth has blamed herself since.

Her parents were absent their entire life and Georgia always searched for love in the wrong places. It’s why she was so interested in the older boy. If someone had been home to tell her not to go to that stupid party, Georgia might still be alive. Elizabeth was at work at the time because her father and stepmother couldn’t hold down a job because of their pill addiction.

It was her job to take care of her siblings and she failed Georgia. She ended up releasing some of it at her sister’s funeral. Her stepmother wanted to press charges but after the Department of Social Services got involved, she ultimately dropped them out of fear that her online reputation would be ruined.

She had to move across the country and change her name to battle that grief.

Detective Douche seemed to soften at her honesty. He settled in a chair in front of her with a soft smile. “Look, we need to know about your relationship with Mimi so we can find—”

“Your relationship with your boss has been self-described as _demanding_ , yes?” Detective Decker started her assault again. “We spoke with witnesses at LUX. You arrived in athletic attire. Mimi interrupted you at one in the morning after weeks of overtime. According to Mr. Morningstar, Mimi has been taking credit for your work for years…”

 “And?” Elizabeth asked with attitude.

“And we found Miss Tanner’s car, abandoned four blocks from _your_ apartment.” Detective Decker tried to gauge if there was a reaction. Elizabeth was just shocked. Lucifer mentioned foul play, but _this_ seemed ridiculous. “There were signs of a struggle, Miss Beauchamp. Blood in the front seat, a broken window. Where is she, Carina? Did your boss make you angry? Did you hurt her?”

“I didn’t do _anything.”_

Detective Decker continued, raising her voice in the process. “We have a _trustworthy_ source that claims you have threatened Miss Tanner in the past with extortion. How did you get bumped from intern to associate so quickly? How did you negotiate a _partnership_ with someone that detested you? We found the paperwork in her home. It seems odd that someone like Miss Tanner would willingly give half of her company to a person with no status.”

“She’s giving me half the company?” Elizabeth knew that she was going to get a larger role, but she never expected Mimi to give her half her company. Elizabeth could hardly contain her surprise, even though she was trying desperately not to showcase her emotions about the detective. “Wow.”

Detective Douche didn’t look like he was so sure Elizabeth was guilty, now.  “This is the first you’re hearing of it?”

“Yes, Mimi and I discussed a promotion but that was three months away at least. I had no idea that she was making me partner. Larmes has strictly been a family business.”  Elizabeth was in shock. Mimi had never said anything or every real shown her any type of favor throughout her time at Larmes. Of course, Elizabeth had been loyal and took care of her when she was impossibly hungover and drunk. And it was true that she preferred Elizabeth over Christie.

It was quite sweet, honestly.

Elizabeth wanted to thank Mimi.

They had to find her.

“So, you don’t deny the extortion?” Decker asked abruptly and even Detective Douche recoiled.

“Chloe, can we talk outside?”

“Do you deny the extortion?”

“Yes.” Elizabeth said, “I _absolutely_ deny it. I busted my ass for Larmes. I’ve never had to threaten or blackmail Mimi into anything.”

“You’re lying!” Detective Decker slammed her hand down on the table.

There was a bang on the other side of the glass that deescalated the confrontation. The door was roughly thrown open. “That is quite enough, Detective.” Lucifer Morningstar glared at Chloe Decker. Elizabeth thought she could see a little more than professional boundaries behind his eyes. Elizabeth imagined Chloe Decker was quite special to the man.

She hated getting in the middle of such messy business.

“We’re done, here.” Lucifer said, “You haven’t charged Miss Walker with a crime. You don’t have anything to hold her on. We are done. Let’s go, Elizabeth.”

“Lucifer, you can’t take her.” Detective Decker said angrily.

“Your judgment is clouded. Only a few weeks ago, you accused _me_ of hurting someone.” Lucifer said, “And while you eventually came around, you were _wrong,_ just as you’re wrong about Miss Walker here.”

Elizabeth really didn’t want to get into whatever personal issue they were having.

“Come on, darling.” Lucifer held out a hand to her, “We’re leaving. Next time, feel free to directly contact her lawyer.”

Elizabeth stood up and collected her things and returned them to her large purse. After she had everything together, she followed Lucifer’s lead.

“I didn’t dismiss you, Miss Beauchamp.” Chloe said but Detective Douche said, “If we have any more questions, Miss Walker, we will reach out. You’re free to go.”

Lucifer led Elizabeth out of the precinct and immediately lit a cigarette. “I haven’t the foggiest why she is acting that way, but I will find out, Miss Walker.”

“Is she your girlfriend?”

He sputtered, “The Detective? No, no. Of course not.”

“But you like her?”

“I’m intrigued by her.” Lucifer shrugged, “We should get you home, yes?”

Elizabeth fished her phone out of her bag, “I’m going to order an Uber. My car is at the office still.”

“Don’t be ridiculous. I’ll drive you home. We have a lot to talk about.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please comment! I'm so excited for the feedback :)
> 
> Don't hate Chloe too much in this AU. She has her reasons.


	5. Moments

Chapter 5:

Elizabeth noticed the way Lucifer’s knuckles whitened as he gripped his steering wheel. He was pissed off. Whatever relationship he had with the detective, it was obviously being tested by this case and by her. She wanted nothing more than to be out of his life.

Two people that once formed and deal and parted ways.

It seemed like the best ending for all parties involved.

Elizabeth would somehow prove her innocence and then she could go back to—what could she go back to? Larmes? It seemed like a bad joke. There was no way that she could be successful without Mimi. Poor Mimi who thought Elizabeth would be a worthy partner in a predominantly family business. Elizabeth started to wonder if the woman was as bad as she had been making her out to be. Spoiled? Yes. Bitchy? Absolutely.

Elizabeth is the first to speak, “Thank you for pulling me out of there.”

“They had no right.” He nearly growled. “The detective had no right to make you justify your past.”

“It’s fine.”

Lucifer didn’t respond for a long time. There was a classic rock song playing on his radio and Elizabeth tried to focus on the words rather than the tension in the vehicle. Every now and then, Elizabeth would tell him which direction to take and he would subtly nod along. It was very odd considering they were virtually strangers.

“No, it’s not.” Lucifer finally said, breaking eye contact from the road to stare at her. “You reinvented yourself. You grew and became something different. No one has the right to try to take that from you.”

Elizabeth didn’t know what to say, but his words made her uncomfortable. “Are you talking about me or yourself?”

“Maybe both.” He smiled but it did not reach his eyes. “Why do I get the feeling you live in a bad neighborhood?”

 _Let him change the subject,_ Elizabeth thought to herself. Really, she didn’t need to know this man. He was just helping her with the case because they both knew Mimi. It meant nothing.

“It’s not that bad.” Elizabeth smiled, “But…I would put the roof up on this precious car.”

“They wouldn’t _dare_ steal it.”

Elizabeth snorted, “Maybe strip for parts.”

Lucifer gasped.

After a few more turns in LA traffic, they arrived at her apartment building. Lucifer tried to find a nice place to park, but Elizabeth could tell he was silently saying his goodbyes. “You don’t have to stay.” Elizabeth said, “I’m sure we could schedule something tomorrow.”

“I think we’ve wasted enough time.”

Elizabeth felt guilty, “You’re right, I’m sorry.”

“I’ve told you before not to apologize.” Lucifer reminded her of the first night that she met him. It seemed like weeks had passed, but it’d only been a few days. “Plus, I’m curious to see how the untainted live.”

Elizabeth flushed skin gave her away again.

“Just because I’m a virgin, doesn’t mean I decorate my apartment differently. It’s not like you’re about to walk into a room filled with crosses and a needle-point of my favorite bible verse.” For a moment, she forgot how weird he was about religion.

He chuckled, “That’s quite a relief, Miss Walker. I wouldn’t know what to do with myself if you were an avid fan of my father’s.”

“God abandoned us a long time ago,” Elizabeth said. It wasn’t something she would usually confess, but with the reminder of her sister’s death so fresh in her mind, she couldn’t help but express her real feelings on the almighty.

Lucifer was staring at her with wonder, “Yes, he did.”

The pair walked inside of Elizabeth’s building and Lucifer made a comment about the lack of security at the door. Then, when she discovered the elevator was broken, she heard him say how truly unacceptable it was. Finally, they got to her front door and she was about to tell him to go home but when she turned around, he was so close to her that she lost her breath and discovered that underneath the whiskey and tobacco, he smelt quite nice.

He was looking down at her in a way that made her heart lose rhythm for a moment. Lucifer Morningstar would be the death of her if he didn’t stop trying to seduce her. He was about to lean down and kiss her, she could tell by the fire dancing in his eyes when there was a loud thump against her door.

It startled Lucifer, “What in the _hell_ was that?”

“Umm, Jethro,” Elizabeth said sweetly, thanking God that her dog prevented her from making that mistake. She turned around and unlocked her door, pushing it open. Her dog excitedly jumped in the air, successfully lifting all of his feet off the ground. “Hello, sweetie, I know, I know, mommy’s home!”

“What is this beast?”

Elizabeth made a show of rolling her eyes, “He’s a Labrador, not a monster. I told you I have a dog.”

“Says you,” Lucifer said before he fully pushed his firm body against hers in the doorway. The sly devil even managed to place one of his hands on her waist. “Protect me, Miss Walker. I’m wearing my favorite shirt.”

Elizabeth couldn’t help but giggle as she ushered Jethro back to his bed. The dog walker had already come and fed her favorite boy. It was a relief that she wouldn’t have to walk around the city with Lucifer following her relentlessly. She threw her keys onto her kitchen counter as she settled into her home.

“It’s small,” Elizabeth told him as he looked around her apartment. He was very shocked by the lack of space involved. It was almost enough to make her feel pathetic, but then he finally turned around and faced her.

“A vicious understatement,” Lucifer said under his breath, but he plastered a lazy smile on his face. “Really, I wouldn’t blame you if you did have a hand in Mimi’s disappearance. She clearly isn’t paying you enough.”

She almost laughed until she remembered Mimi could be seriously injured or dead. The predicament was entirely surreal. Mimi had been the antagonist in her story for so long that it almost seemed unreal how concerned she was for the woman’s wellbeing. “We have to find her, Lucifer.” Elizabeth’s voice was small.

“I know.” He said, taking a shaky breath as he sat down in the wooden chair of her kitchen table. He looks delicious, but Elizabeth’s not going to tell him that. It’s weird to think that a multi-millionaire (or possibly billionaire) club owner was sitting in _her_ kitchen.  “Do you have anything to drink around here?”

Elizabeth did a mental inventory of her fridge—a chef salad, a carton of orange juice and some Capri Suns for the weak moments. Not a drop of alcohol in the entire apartment.

“No.” Elizabeth nibbled on her bottom lip before she formulated a clever response. “Virgins don’t usually have mass amounts of alcohol in their apartments. Don’t you know?”

Lucifer looked her up and down, “Believe it or not, I don’t stumble across virgins very often and they are typically less appetizing than you.” He pulled out a pocket flask and took a strong swig. “Looks like I have two things to remedy before the end of our case.”

Elizabeth pursed her lips, “And those two things are?”

He beamed, “Your lack of alcohol in this humble abode and your lack of any hedonistic fun. We’re going to find out if you’re a screamer.”

She choked.

He continued to shine.

After a moment of awkward staring on her part, Elizabeth decided to get back to business. “Do you know anyone that can find people? What if Mimi _did_ leave the country? What if she’s hiding?”

Lucifer took another sip from his flask, “I saw the case file, love. I don’t think she’s missing under her own free will. Mimi was targeted. You know her life better than anyone else.”

“Uh, I mean, I know Mimi wanted you.” Elizabeth shrugged, “She spent a lot of time at LUX trying to get your attention. Other than that, her best friend is Kitty Parker…she’s part of a weird country club type organization. Mimi’s a mystery to me. Outside of work, I don’t really know her. It’s not like we had a lot of time to bond.”

Lucifer nodded along with her words, “It’s not your fault.”

“I know.” Elizabeth nodded, “I just want her found safely. Alive.”

Lucifer tapped his fingers against the table, “I can ask my brother, Amenadiel to search for her. Maybe even Maze if I can find her.”

“What else can we do?” Elizabeth asked as she stood up from the table. “LA is too big to search every street…it’s not like we can post flyers on street poles.” She found herself standing in the center of the apartment with her hand on her forehead. She’s trying to think about everything that she learned about Mimi over the last few years.

Her likes.

Her dislikes.

And then she realized, she never really tried to get to know Mimi at all. Elizabeth made so many assumptions about her character and now she could be dead in a ditch somewhere. A person that she interacted with almost every single day could be dead and she was absolutely useless in the search to find her.

 “I hate feeling helpless like this again,” Elizabeth said, again reminded of her sister.

Elizabeth could hear the sound of Lucifer’s chair against the floor. Her ears followed his footsteps until she could feel the warmth of his skin. He pushed her blonde hair away from the back of her neck so he could press a cool kiss to her skin. “You need to think about something else. A distraction, Miss Walker.”

“I-I really don’t—”

“If you want me to stop, I will.” He promised her as his lips moved to her shoulder. He was peeling back her clothes as his lips continued to search for more.

Elizabeth channeled every bit of bravery that she had into her next move. She quickly turned around and grabbed him by his jacket, pulling him as close as possible. His lips connected with hers flawlessly. He cupped her face and she felt like she was flying.

 _I’ve never been kissed like this,_ she dumbly thought.

Lucifer took control of her as a professional. His tongue plunged into her mouth, triggering an involuntary moan. The next thing she knew, Lucifer was picking her up and she was wrapping her legs around his waist as their tongues moved to an ancient dance. She could feel Lucifer walking them towards something, but she was completely unaware of what until her back was pressed against her mattress.

Everything was so intoxicating.

Until he started sliding up her dress with his large hands. Elizabeth broke the mind-numbing kiss, meeting his dark brown eyes. They were filled with so much desire that she almost continued.

Almost.

She just wasn’t ready.

Especially with someone that is attached to another person.

Elizabeth pushed at his shoulders, “I think you should leave.”

Lucifer was going to protest, but then he stopped seemed to stop himself. He pushed her hair back from her face and stared down at her for a minute, “Okay, Miss Walker. I’ll leave.” He pulled her with him as he stood up. He looked at Jethro who was either decent enough to pretend he was asleep, or actually asleep. He straightened his appearance in her body length mirror and then turned to her, “I’m not used to being rejected.”

Elizabeth tried to copy his smirk, “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t make me put you over my knee, Elizabeth.” Lucifer threatened, trying to gauge her reaction. Elizabeth didn’t know if she was offended or turned on by his crassness. She pretended to be offended. He gathered his car keys that she hadn’t even noticed he placed beside hers. “Hopefully it’s still there.” He joked and Elizabeth smiled.

“Goodnight, Mr. Morningstar.”

“Feel free to call LUX if you want me to return. I’ve been told I’m a fantastic cuddler.” He was prolonging his stay and Elizabeth couldn’t help but feel flattered.  He looked like he was going to kiss her again, and she would be lying if she said she didn’t want it…but it was wrong.

Mimi was missing.

Lucifer had a thing for the detective that was trying to end her life.

It was all wrong to be attracted to him, to want him.

Lucifer gave her one last look before he walked out of her apartment.

And for the first time in a long time, Elizabeth cried for Carina Beauchamp.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, tell me what you think so far?
> 
> How do you feel about Elizabeth Walker?


	6. Workdays

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> COMMENT BELOW.

Elizabeth barely slept the night before. Her head was filled with memories that she would rather forget—like the day her little sister was born and the night she got the call that she was dead, and how time had flown in between those two days so unjustly that the mere thought that a celestial being in the sky was orchestrating everything was just cruel.

Most days, Elizabeth tried not to think of Georgia at all. She hadn’t done a great job of keeping her memory alive, and maybe that was her own cowardice. Elizabeth, Carina, whoever she was inside loved Georgia more than anyone else in the world. Elizabeth was almost four when Georgia was born but it was such a defining event that it was one that she carried with her.

Elizabeth did everything she could do protect her, to keep her fed and safe, and in the end, she failed.

Even her friends from college, who were currently upset with her for skipping _PUSH!_ on Thursday, were unaware of her past. They knew that she had a mother that remarried, but they didn’t know anything about the Beauchamp family and their horrid ways. Elizabeth’s father was a creature only to be loathed. From an early age, he made her uncomfortable. Her family often made fun of her for her aversion to touch.

He was pathetic, the very definition of the word.

Weak.

Useless.

Worthless.

And she doubted God had given him a soul when he gave him life…maybe God makes mistakes, too.

Elizabeth Walker wasn’t just trying to reinvent herself; she was trying to run away. After the funeral, she found a way to leave town, but it enraged the man. Elizabeth was supposed to be his live-in babysitter, not some woman with a dream. And she did the worst thing anyone could do: tell the department of social services that he was a monster. According to her mother, the police quickly got involved but the charges never stuck. It was best that Carina Beauchamp disappeared, and so she did.

But there was fear in the back of her mind now.

How much had the detective unearthed in her conquest?   

Did he know her new name?

Was he looking for her?

Elizabeth watched as the night transformed into the early morning, unable to make herself rest. Her alarm clock started humming a relaxing tone that got louder and louder with each passing minute before it launched into what the weather would be like and the recent political meltdowns.

It wasn’t until she was analyzing her naked body in the full-length mirror that she thought of Lucifer Morningstar. Mentally, her lips were still burning with the passion he transferred to her with each skilled movement. It was like he already knew her every thought, every want, and he was so willing to showcase that knowledge.

He was a tempting man.

She could totally see why he assumed the persona of a fallen angel. He played the role almost as well as she played the role of the simple Elizabeth Walker who never cared too much about anyone and had a personality like a feather blowing in the wind. In the last few days, she had lost the reigns of her greatest act.

It was time to recompose herself, she was a professional.

Elizabeth looked at her curves and then turned away in contempt. She was nothing like the girls that lined up outside of LUX every night. She was nothing like Detective Decker. Lucifer was just intrigued because she had something as insignificant as a hymen and he was a man. She sighed and proceeded to take a shower.

The steam didn’t clear her head or her bad mood. By the time she got out of the shower, she just wanted to work. Larmes Event Planning was open every Saturday except the last Saturday of the month. It was an ironic rule because Mimi had never once shown up on Saturday, even when Elizabeth was an intern. Christie was the one that always opened the doors and took on Mimi’s duties.

Christie never complained when Elizabeth surpassed her and became Mimi’s bitch, not that it was a position to envy. Mimi gave Christie her own events and let her work under her name. Of course, they were never prestigious, but Christie never struck Elizabeth as someone that wanted events that would grace the covers of LA tabloids.

Elizabeth was only slightly disappointed that she would have to get an Uber this morning to go to work. She was probably in no condition to drive anyway. She checked the time—7:32 AM. The fees would be outrageous because of the number of people going to and from work. Elizabeth tried not to let that get under her skin.

 

 

 

She dried her hair with her multi-colored blow-dryer, deciding that she would return to her signature bun. It was the only bit of normalcy that she would have in her routine besides the full face of makeup that she put on. After her hair was perfectly secure and she was satisfied with the glow on her face, she walked to her closet to pick out a dress. Her mood got the better of her and she ended up wearing the most expensive black dress she owned with a price tag of $548. Luckily, she was able to get it on sale for $328, but that was a little secret.

Of course, any dress with an outrageous price had a name. It was called the Finesse Crepe Emory Dress. She ordered it from Lafayette 148 on a whim because she deserved something nice and a large commission from an event set her up nicely. Speaking of events, she had an upcoming show on Monday that she needed to look over the hundredth time.

Just as she finished zipping her dress, there was a knock at her front door. For a moment, she was paralyzed by the fear that it was Detective Decker, or worse (and most illogical) her father. Elizabeth straightened her dress and calmly walked to the door. Jethro finally got up from his bed and followed her to the door, seemingly at ease with the whole ordeal even though no one ever knocked on her door.

Worst guard dog ever.

Elizabeth looked in the peephole and then gasped—it was Lucifer Morningstar. She hesitated before she turned the lock and opened the door. “Mr. Morningstar, I wasn’t expecting you.”

The corners of his mouth turned up as his eyes raked over her, “I prefer the green dress from the other night…this one makes you look like—”

“A businesswoman?” She offered, eyes twinkling with discourse.

Lucifer conceded quickly, “I suppose so.”

“What are you doing here?”

He shrugged as if he was being nonchalant, “I figured you might need a ride to work.”

Elizabeth smiled, “And how did you know I worked today? Are you stalking me, Mr. Morningstar?”

“Now, if I said yes, where’s the fun in that? I didn’t think it would be very gentleman-like for me to make you summon a ride for work…not when I could.”

“Sound logic.” She couldn’t help but make fun of him trying to justify his actions. “I don’t need a ride, Lucifer. I’m capable of hailing an Uber.”

 He cleared his throat, “Yes, well, I insist.”

Elizabeth really didn’t want to suffer through the ride service’s wait times, so she only pretended to think about it. Lucifer watched her like a hawk, anticipating her answer. “Fine.” She allowed as she started to gather her things.

He looked relieved.

“You do look lovely today, Miss Walker.” He seemed earnest but Elizabeth didn’t know whether to buy it. He only seemed to be after one thing, really, and it wasn’t something she was willing to give up just because of a British man with impeccable eyes and style.

But even as she thought it, her cheeks turned watermelon pink and she thanked him delicately.

Lucifer walked over to her fridge and made a show of rolling his eyes once he realized she had nothing to eat. “Typical single gal in LA. No food.”

“Do you often catalog the fridges of the women you stalk?”

He deadpanned, “Why, yes, Miss Walker. It is my favorite pass time…well, after sex, naturally.”

Elizabeth mocked him, “Naturally.”

_Saturday, 10 AM_

Elizabeth could barely get through her list of required phone calls because of Lucifer’s endless antics. He was refusing to leave, which was off-putting but a surprisingly welcomed feeling. The company was nice. He was currently sitting across the room on the client couch, flipping through her physical portfolio that he found when he was snooping through her desk drawers. She assumed he was reading one of her formal PR campaigns because he hadn’t flipped a page in a while.

She was on the phone with one of her favorite artists about an upcoming event. Kellen Row was a unique painter that focused heavily on the human condition in detailed abstract portraits. He also dabbled in impressionism for his more degenerate landscapes. It’s safe to say that his work is a lot deeper than him from an outside point of view. Still, Elizabeth fell in love with Kellen’s work at a visual performance competition and had to annoy Mimi _endlessly_ to take on a no namer, and she later befriended the man after a few small events.

It paid off because Kellen had a lot of friends within the industry that now used Larmes for their larger events. Kellen had an event next month that featured 23 new paintings and a visual performance that was going to be hosted at Fenilien Collections. Elizabeth really didn’t like the idea of having Kellen’s art in a traditional art gallery, but it was what he pictured for the event.

Kellen was trying to add an open bar, which would put a lot of additional work on Elizabeth’s plate. The invitations were supposed to be sent out on Wednesday, 30 days beforehand. Elizabeth also had a series of digital media and post ready to be sent off and scheduled. Advertising an open bar would change the feel of everything involved.

Still, Elizabeth was eager to please the man. He was…attractive and funny and the type of guy someone as normal as Elizabeth Walker would date and marry. It was _simple._

“If you email me a full list of your preferences and drinks that you require, I can definitely put in the order. Would you like to add a signature drink? It could add novelty to the event and encourage more people to attend your next showing.”

Kellen laughs quietly, “You always know what to do, Elizabeth. Do you ever get tired of being brilliant?”

Elizabeth can’t help but giggle, forgetting completely that she had company. “No, no I don’t.” When she looked up, she met Lucifer’s curious and possessive eyes. It made her stomach knot up.

“There was another thing…” Kellen started, and Elizabeth had to force herself to return her attention to him. “I’ll be honest, I’m not confident about the gallery space anymore. I like Fenilien but I went to showing the other night and now I think it’s too…too…”

“Light?” Elizabeth offered.

“Yes, my art is all about depravity and debauchery. I need a venue that fits those things.” Elizabeth wished she could say that artists changing every detail about an event beforehand was uncommon, but it wasn’t, and it was the risk of taking on creative and talented clients. Their work was never finished, there was always room for improvement. “I was thinking one of those sex dungeons…or maybe an old government building or jail.” He sighed, “Something absolutely sinful.”

Elizabeth returned her focus on Lucifer, a smile working on the edge of her lips. “I think I know something absolutely sinful.” Lucifer seemed to catch on to her inflection and he completely stopped looking at the portfolio. “Look, Kellen, I might know the perfect place. Send me the information I asked for and I’ll let you know what I come up with for a venue.”

“You’re the best.”

“I know, goodbye Kellen.”

Elizabeth hung up the phone just as Lucifer made his way to her side of the desk, once again invading her personal space. Yet, he looked positively sinful hovering over her. Everything about Lucifer Morningstar was sinful, and, by extension, so was LUX. Having spent the last few days with him, she knew that his club was a direct reflection of his personality. If she could get Kellen’s artwork in a coveted venue like LUX, his career would skyrocket and so would hers.  “Did that beautiful mind of yours come up with a fun idea?” He started to close the distance between their bodies, “I think I like it better when your hair is down.”

Elizabeth ignored his comment about her hair, but her body didn’t.  “I want to host an event at your club.”

“What type of event?” He asked skeptically, already knowing the answer because he was clearly eavesdropping before.

“An art showing.”

Lucifer scrunched his nose, “Art shows are _boring._ ” The way he said boring reminded her of an ill-content child.

“I would consider it a personal favor.”

He lowered his head, positioning his mouth close to her ear, dropping his voice down to a whisper. If she moved her face a little to the right, their lips would meet. It was an intoxicating feeling. “Now, Elizabeth, you already have a favor in progress.”

She sucked in a deep breath, “You said you wanted to host an event at LUX.”

“The last event I hosted at LUX was an orgy, Miss Walker. An art show isn’t exactly a follow-up.” He pressed his lips to her ear, his voice almost inaudible over her blood rushing. “Look at me.” It was like he was begging, pleading for her and Elizabeth couldn’t resist.

She turned her face to him, and he immediately claimed her lips as his own. She opened her mouth to him, and he gladly took what she was giving him. Elizabeth moaned and he pulled back, “Maybe I’m softening on the idea.”

“I think the last thing you’re doing right now is _softening._ ”

Lucifer’s laugh was delightful, “Miss Walker, I’m corrupting you already.” Elizabeth knew that she needed to stop kissing him. It wasn’t very rational, and it would only end badly for her if she kept giving way to the temptation. Yet, he was so different from any other person she had ever met before. It was obvious that he wanted to have sex with her and maybe that was his main motivation, but at least he was genuine. “Tell me about your _flirty_ artist.”

“He is not flirty.” Elizabeth denied but she knew it was a bit of a fib. She didn’t want to share her history with Kellen, and honestly, there wasn’t much to share. They worked together. They were friends, and occasionally things got flirtatious. Elizabeth used to think those small moments meant so much but in comparison to the damn rollercoaster that she’s been on since the night she met Lucifer; it wasn’t much of anything. “His name is Kellen Row. He wants a location that is sexy…and as you know, LUX is sexy…”

“Of course, it’s _sexy,_ Miss Walker but is the artwork?” He moved away from her ear, now looking her directly in the eyes. “Is the art sexy, Elizabeth?”

Elizabeth sighed, “Not in the romantic sense of the word…in the desperate sense, I suppose.” She wished she would just stop speaking because she was consistently giving away too much of her mind to him. Her view on love and sex, even having no experience, wasn’t traditional. Elizabeth knew that love didn’t manifest in the ways Disney promised, and she also knew that sex wasn’t always about love. Sometimes it’s about holding onto someone for dear life so the emptiness doesn’t rip at your heart. And when she looks at Kellen’s artwork, she is reminded of the emptiness that she allows to run rampant in her heart and her desire for peace.

“You would owe me another favor, love. Think you can handle it?” Elizabeth understood Lucifer’s innuendo and made sure he knew that she was able to translate his teasing words.

“Yeah,” Elizabeth whispered hotly, “I can handle you.”

He started toying with his cuff links, “Be careful.”

Lucifer’s cell started to howl a factory ringtone, interrupting their moment. He seemed aggravated, but he quickly hid it underneath his many layers.

“I have to take this, it’s Maze but contact your little friend and let him know I am open to the idea purely for _you._ ” Lucifer walked out of Larmes while he was on the phone. A part of her was annoyed that he spent most of his day watching her every move, and then the one moment that she can glimpse inside of his life, he walks out.

Elizabeth called Kellen and told him about LUX. Thankfully, he had heard of the club. Before he committed to anything, Kellen wanted to attend the club to see if it corresponded with his artwork and vision. He invited her to accompany him and Elizabeth agreed under the condition that she could invite her friends, who she had completely abandoned on Thursday night.

She couldn’t deny that she was a little eager, but for all the wrong reasons. She wanted to know more about Lucifer. He had been carefully analyzing her this entire time, and now it was her turn.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, hello...I've been writing non-stop ever since I finished my junior year of college :) I'm taking advantage of my short vacation until I start my internship. I'm really craving interaction on this story because I love it SO much. 
> 
> Comment, Kudos, Subscribe.


	7. LUX

Chapter 7:

“So, you’ve magically become friends with _the_ Lucifer Morningstar this week?” Alice asked, trying her best to sound casual. Elizabeth could see her other friend, Courtney, ears suddenly perk up at the mention of Lucifer. The women were both fully dressed in their typical clubbing outfits. Elizabeth was still trying to figure out to wear, and still trying to figure out which guy she was trying to impress more: the practical and safe Kellen Row or the intoxicatingly delectable Lucifer Morningstar.

The short white club dress in her hand should have been a dead giveaway but her brain was currently ignoring all of her heart’s messages. The entire dress was covered in an intricate sequin pattern that started at the high neckline and ended mid-thigh with the dress. It also had long sleeves, covering up most of her skin. The fabric would cling to her entire body, though. It was the dress of a well-behaved tempest. Regardless, a part of her was terrified that she would show up to LUX and find Lucifer flirting with another woman in the same manner that he’s been flirting with her. It’s not like she has a claim to him or anything and really, he can do his own thing, but it doesn’t mean that it wouldn’t sting a little. It doesn’t mean that she isn’t secretly hoping that he will be living up to his title of playboy, so she has a reason to stop liking him so much.  

Elizabeth tried to play it cool, “Yeah, uh, I mean he’s been trying to help me find Mimi and we’re working out a contract with LUX for Kellen’s show.”

“So, she’s really missing?” Alice asked, skeptical because of all the stories Elizabeth has told them over the years. Alice always enjoyed hearing Elizabeth’s stories because she was the bored trophy wife of a stockbroker. Alice had bigger goals when they were in college. She was going to conquer the world, but then she met Brendon Crafton and he offered her a life free of worry and ambition. Alice spent most of her time getting blonde highlights in her beautiful brown hair and shopping in boutiques.

Alice also had the time to constantly remind Elizabeth that she needed to be dating and that she could do better career-wise. Her other hobbies include meddling in Amanda’s life. Amanda is their other friend, who they all planned to meet at LUX. She’s engaged to Alice’s cousin because of a blind date Alice orchestrated after Amanda drug her feet on dating. Alice’s main goal is to have children at the same time as all of her friends so the kids could have playdates and they could drink wine.

“Yeah.” Elizabeth didn’t want to go into details because she didn’t want to ruin the night. She glanced at her closet one last time wondering if she should wear one of her many knee-length dresses. It’s what she would wear at any other meeting at a potential venue. She reminded herself that this wasn’t a typical meeting and she was allowed to have a little fun.

Lucifer said as much when she told him that Kellen and her friends would be stopping by tonight. He was visibly rattled after his phone call with his friend, Maze, but he seemed thrilled with her decision to come to LUX on a Saturday night. He promised a night of fun and some other things that she wouldn’t dare repeat.

Courtney sighed, “Are you going to continue to daydream about Kellen or can we leave?”

Elizabeth apologized and headed to her bathroom to change. Courtney and Elizabeth barely got along these days. They used to be inseparable when they were in college because they were both studying Public Relations and they lived in the same dormitory. Courtney was the reason that she even met Alice and Amanda in the first place.

After graduation, Elizabeth found employment right away and Courtney didn’t. Even now, Courtney doesn’t work in their field and it’s caused a lot of tension between them. It got even worse after Elizabeth unsuccessfully tried to get Courtney a job at Larmes and Mimi rejected her based on her lack of experience. Mimi rudely told Courtney that she wouldn’t let her plan a child’s birthday party.

Ever since Courtney has been encouraging Elizabeth to quit and Elizabeth has consistently refused. Courtney’s marriage was also in a rough spot. Her husband, who owned three car dealerships, was having an affair with one of his saleswomen. The only reason Courtney found out was because the saleswoman told her in a long and detailed letter. They were in marriage counseling, but it didn’t seem to be going well.

Elizabeth was confident it was just a rough spot and they would eventually work it out. The truth is, if she had to put her friendships under a microscope, they would all be a little estranged. Elizabeth worked too many hours and kept too many secrets to really ever have anything normal. It sucked, but it was her reality.

Jethro was waiting for her when she walked out of the bathroom, “Don’t worry, baby, I scheduled a late night walk for you so you wouldn’t feel lonely.”

Alice laughed, “You’re one of those crazy pet owners, I swear.”

“It’s probably why she’s struggling to find a boyfriend,” Courtney said under her breath. Elizabeth was about to defend herself, but Alice stepped in.

“That’s rude, Court, and anyway, with _that_ dress, her struggle is going to end tonight.” Elizabeth could see Alice mentally calculating how long she was going to have to wait to get pregnant if Elizabeth met her soulmate tonight. “Kellen is going to love it.”

Elizabeth exhaled, “Kellen and I strictly have an amicable business relationship. Nothing more.”

“Right.” Alice winked, “You talk about him all the time.”

“I do _not._ ”

_Lately,_ she thinks.

“Are you ready to leave?” Courtney asks, looking her up and down before turning towards the door. Alice gave Elizabeth an apologetic look while Courtney continued, “It’s my turn to drive. Let’s go.”

Not much conversation took place between the time they left and the time they arrived at LUX. There was a long line in front of the building, but Elizabeth easily spotted Kellen and Amanda, who had met previously at one of his showings. They were laughing about something on Amanda’s phone. Elizabeth was grateful they seemed to be in a good mood.

Lucifer told Elizabeth that he was adding her to the list, which did make her feel a little special. After handing off her keys to a young valet, Courtney seemed to be in a better mood. She was even the first person to approach Kellen and Amanda. Elizabeth and Alice followed, both surprised by her sudden mood swing because of the obvious tension in Courtney’s Lexus.

Kellen was wearing a t-shirt and a pair of jeans and his hair was a complete mess. Elizabeth could certainly see how different he was from Lucifer is this light, in Lucifer’s domain. She smiled at him, “So, what are your first impressions?”

“The crowd definitely consists of my type of people.” He says, “You may have just become the best event planner in the world.”

“Just?” Elizabeth laughed until she saw Courtney’s face. She didn’t want to make matters any worse than they already were so she quieted.

“So, should we get in line?” Amanda asked.

Alice beamed, “No, actually, our _amazing_ friend is on the list meaning we get to skip the whole line thing tonight.”

“How in the hell did you manage that?” Amanda nearly yelled in excitement.

“Oh, Mr. Morningstar is a friend of Mimi’s and offered his club as a venue for some of Larme’s more interesting events.”

_Two birds, one stone._ Kellen looked flattered and Amanda seemed to accept that her relationship with Lucifer was purely a professional one. Of course, all her friends were eager to accept that excuse. No one could ever imagine a prude like Elizabeth being genuine friends with someone like Lucifer, all joking aside.

Elizabeth led her friends over to the bouncer, “Now, you—” He pointed directly at Elizabeth, “can definitely go inside but your friends need to get in the back of the line.” Elizabeth’s skin turned scarlet, but she thanked God that she was wearing such a stunning dress. It was probably the only reason the bouncer found her to be interesting.  

“Actually, my friends and I are on the list.” Elizabeth smiled, “Uh, the name is Elizabeth Walker.”

The bouncer’s eyes widened, “Oh, I’m so sorry Miss Walker. Mr. Morningstar has been waiting for you.” He lifted the velvet rope and let her and her friends in. “Again, my apologies.” If Alice was impressed beforehand, she was in complete shock now. Elizabeth quickly said, “Well, he didn’t become this rich by not taking business seriously.”

Kellen whistled, “I definitely need his work ethic.”

Courtney chimed in, “He’s probably some bored trust fund baby. It’s not that impressive.” Elizabeth didn’t take her bait. Courtney wanted to fight tonight, and she wasn’t going to rise to the occasion. It seemed the only person she was capable of being nice to was Kellen.

LUX was packed with people as always. Women were vivaciously dancing on tables while a song that Elizabeth _loved_ played in the background. It was by Tove Lo, a Swedish pop singer and songwriter. The ambiance was perfect for a night out with her friends, and for Kellen’s interests. Everyone was positively beautiful and there were even some celebrity faces in the crowd.

A perfect place to network and promote.

Elizabeth watched as Kellen took in his surroundings. He seemed pleased but until she got the go-ahead, she wasn’t going to get her hopes up. She planned to give him some time to take it all in, at least, that was her excuse to start looking for Lucifer in the sea of people. Her eyes immediately went to the couch that he occupied the other night with Mimi, but he wasn’t there.

“Do you guys want to find somewhere to hang?” Alice asked, pointing to the bar. Elizabeth wasn’t sure she wanted to be thrown into the large crowd, but everyone seemed so excited. Maybe she would be able to locate Lucifer in the throng of people dancing on each other. The idea was tempting but she decided against it, liking her odds better from her current viewpoint.

“Y’all go ahead.” Elizabeth told them, “I’ll be right there in just a minute.”

Kellen was the only one who stayed with her, but it was solely to tell her his ideas on the venue. “I’m definitely mesmerized by this place. It’s dark, obviously a place of sin and it definitely won’t outshine my work considering typical crowd size for art showings.”

Elizabeth was about to say something when she heard Lucifer’s enthralling accent from behind them, “Well, don’t be so sure, Mr. Row, LUX and I have always been the brightest of things.” Lucifer looked edible in the glow of LUX. He was holding an almost empty scotch glass and he was smiling at her. Elizabeth wondered how long he had been standing behind her, just as she wondered if he had watched her look for him.

Elizabeth made the connection between his biblical alter-ego; the light-bringer. Even though she thought the ruse was a little ridiculous, it didn’t take from his personality.

Weren’t they both pretending to be something they aren’t?

“I dig the vibe, man,” Kellen said, friendly as ever. He must have recognized Lucifer from all the press. Kellen offered his hand to Lucifer, which Lucifer ended up shaking albeit reluctantly. “What motivated you to open a place like this?”

Kellen was probably expecting a much deeper answer, but all Lucifer said was, “Desire.”

“Damn, that’s tight.” Kellen nodded and Elizabeth tried to figure out what she liked so much about him in the first place. It was hard to grasp onto it in the presence of the man that literally picked her up in his arms last night.

She coughed to rid herself of the memory.

It did not go unnoticed.

Elizabeth felt her phone vibrating against her right thigh. Early on, she had invested in a set of lace holsters for her phone and license on club nights. The holster was non-slip and concealable. Due to the length of her dress, Elizabeth wore a nude one. The only drawback was the fact that she risked flashing LUX if she reached for her phone.

As she tried to think of the best way to grab her cell, she could hear Lucifer continuing his conversation with Kellen. “So, what do you desire, Mr. Row?”

_Weird question, but okay._

Elizabeth looked around the room before she reached for her phone. She was reading a text from Alice that said, _‘ **OMG LM is HOT!!!** ’ _when Kellen replied to Lucifer, “I want to be rich.”

“Who doesn’t?” Lucifer snorted.

Elizabeth was smart enough to know that Lucifer was purposely being a dick. In order to prevent Kellen from changing his mind, she broke one of her rules: converse with two clients about complementary deals in front of each other. It was unprofessional, but sometimes rules must be broken to maintain professional relationships. “So, Kellen, is LUX where you want to host your show?”

“Um, yeah, yeah, of course,” Kellen said after a moment of hesitation. He was probably intimidated by Lucifer or just shocked Elizabeth would ask the question in front of the club owner. “Thank you for suggesting this place, and thank you, Lucifer, for offering it.”

“We can draw up the details later. Go have fun! I need to talk to _Mr. Morningstar_.” Elizabeth said as nicely as she could. Kellen didn’t seem to mind that she was dismissing him. Elizabeth felt her phone vibrating in her hand, but she ignored it.

Lucifer finished his drink in a single sip and then fixed his eyes on her, “I think you’re trying to drive me mad, Miss Walker. I want to tell you how beautiful you are, but I’m quite sure that word would count as an insult with the way you look tonight.”

“You’re an insatiable flirt.” Elizabeth giggled, not really sure how to take his compliment. Feeling bold, she took a step closer to him, “You don’t have to be jealous of Kellen, you know?”

Lucifer mimicked her move, “Don’t I?”

It was a dangerous dare.

“My friends are waiting for me.”

“Oh, don’t back down now, Miss Walker.” Lucifer pushed her hair back. Elizabeth had worn it down just for him although that was buried deep in her subconscious. He was making her nervous, but not in a bad way. Still, he seemed to sense her newfound anxiety, “Introduce them to me, yeah?”

Lucifer followed her as she searched for her friends, eventually finding them near the bar. Alice was drinking a large mixed drink while Amanda nursed a beer. Courtney and Kellen were ordering at the bar, looking like best friends. It was only a little weird.

“Hey guys, so, meet Lucifer Morningstar.” Her introduction was as every bit of awkward as she currently felt. “Lucifer, this is Alice and Amanda and over there is Courtney and you just met Kellen.”

Lucifer immediately laid on the charm with his devilish grin and panty-dropping accent, “It’s lovely to meet you both.” Her friends were clearly dazzled by him. Elizabeth couldn’t blame them. “Any friend of Miss Walker is a friend of mine, and my friends don’t pay for drinks here.” He looked at Courtney and Kellen but didn’t feel inclined to give them the same message.

“You hear that Lizzy? Time to get drunk.” Amanda encouraged. Elizabeth nearly cringed at the sound of Amanda’s ridiculously stereotypical nickname for her. Amanda pouted, “You never let loose anymore.”

She was starting to hate Lucifer’s smirk.

It always meant he was up to no good.

“I think that is an excellent idea!” Lucifer said, “Maze, Maze!” He called over to the bar. A beautiful woman was talking up an attractive man and looked genuinely pissed that Lucifer had interrupted the moment. “Please pour us a round. Miss Walker has let her hair down.”

Elizabeth felt bad and nearly yelled an apology her way.

Maze was shocked.

“I’ll have one drink.” Elizabeth conceded, “But I have a lot of work to catch up on tomorrow and—”

“No!” Alice yelled, “No, no, no. I did not leave Brendon with a frozen pizza tonight for you to have _one drink._ We are at the greatest club in LA, you’re going to get freshman year wasted,”

_Oh god, not freshman year wasted._

“Thank you, Alice, I could not agree more. Can you handle it, Miss Walker?” Lucifer taunted as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders so he could whisper in her ear as close as possible. “I’ll have to punish you if you don’t allow yourself to have proper fun.”

_Fuck._  


	8. Pre-Game

It was difficult to put aside the fact that Mimi Tanner was somewhere in the outside world in one of the most terrifying situations of her life. Lucifer had been going above and beyond to show her and her friends a good and improper time, but Elizabeth couldn’t get in the mood. There was too much on the line. The one shot that she took hadn’t done anything for her and it was safe to say that she was the soberest out of the group.

Her friends had relocated to the couches thanks to Lucifer’s ability to dismiss people. Lucifer was telling an entertaining story about the time he met Madonna and Elizabeth _wanted_ to show him respect by listening to every word, but she kept zoning out. If Mimi wasn’t hurt, if she wasn’t badly injured, if she wasn’t _dead,_ she would be here listening to Lucifer’s stories and trying her damnedest to get him to date her. And Elizabeth felt guilty because of it. She felt like she had suddenly assumed the Madam’s life—planning parties without any approval, making venue decisions with connections to luxurious club owners, sitting _here_ with Lucifer Morningstar.

It wasn’t Elizabeth Walker at all.

Hell, it wasn’t even Carina Beauchamp.

It was an entirely different person that Elizabeth couldn’t decide if she liked or not.

“So, tell me about you lot. How did you all meet?” Lucifer asked, assessing the unique friend group. Elizabeth and Lucifer were sitting right next to each other, so close that she could feel his body heat radiating against her exposed legs. She couldn’t deny that she liked the contact.

Alice took control of the narrative, much to Elizabeth’s relief. “Well, it’s definitely not glamorous or anything. I think Elizabeth and Courtney met first during a hall meeting if I’m not mistaken. They lived in the same residence hall. I met Amanda at the first frat party of the years, where I also met Courtney and then Courtney introduced us to Elizabeth soon after.”

“Lizzy’s always been a bit of a bookworm, so she rarely went to parties.” Amanda added, “We probably would have met her sooner. Courtney and Elizabeth were inseparable when we were in school.” Amanda didn’t realize that she had addressed the elephant in the room until she was finished speaking. By then, the damage had been done.

Elizabeth was embarrassed.

“Used to be?” Lucifer asked, raising an eyebrow. Elizabeth wanted to hit him, but then again, how was he supposed to know he was walking on the thinnest of eggshells. He seemed to earnestly regret posing the question once Courtney answered anyway.

“Oh yeah, you see, _Lizzy_ decided that her career was more important than her friendships.” Courtney drunkenly snorted, “That’s why she’s here tonight, you know? She’s prostituting herself out for Larmes and the Madam…even if Mimi is probably dead. Don’t be fooled but the slut act, she’s just a fraud.”

Elizabeth was mortified.

Kellen Row looked absolutely shocked with Courtney’s words, as well as incredibly awkward. Elizabeth couldn’t believe that Courtney would stoop so low as to say something like that in front of her client. “You know, I think it’s the perfect time to go.” Kellen said, “I think we’ve all had a little too much of the nightlife. Elizabeth, I’ll call or email tomorrow, okay?”

Kellen stood and started to walk away. Elizabeth, who had been momentarily frozen (just as all her other friends were, including Lucifer) jumped up to follow him, nearly tripping on someone’s feet in the process. She didn’t make a scene, just calmly followed him until they were a safe enough distance away. “Hey, Kellen, hold on,” Elizabeth said, trying to fake her best smile. “I am so sorry with how unprofessional this night has been.”

He laughed, “Look, people say things when they’re drunk. I’m not going to think any less of you because of Courtney. I consider you a friend. You put faith in me when no one else would. Don’t stress too much about all of this.” He put a hand on her shoulder, “Thank you for recommending LUX…and you should be unprofessional more often, specifically with a certain club owner. He hasn’t been able to keep his eyes off you.” It was dreamlike hearing the words from someone she used to like. Any moment, she thought she would wake up from this bizarre dream. Kellen removed his hand from her shoulder, a friendly smile on his face.

“Thank you for saying all of that Kellen. Really.” Elizabeth said, almost feeling the urge to cry.

“You’re just trying to pursue your dreams just like everyone else in LA. I hope Mimi is okay and everything, but I didn’t pick Larmes because of her.” Kellen shrugged, “Goodnight, _Lizzy._ ”

“Oh god, please don’t call me that.”

Elizabeth and Kellen parted ways with a small wave. His words replayed in her head as she slowly returned to the seating area. Up until this moment, she thought the brewing feelings inside of her were just a figment of her imagination and a total lack of experience in the dating department. The idea that Lucifer could like her back was a ridiculous notion.

He flirts with everyone.

He dances with everyone.

He is the definition of community dick.

He is not the type of guy that develops crushes on girls, especially girls like her.

When she approached the couches, she found that Courtney and Alice were missing. Even though she had just been embarrassed, she did feel bad for Courtney. Alice was a real piece of work when she was upset and if Alice was the one to pull her aside, Courtney was bound to get a stern talking to from the group mom. Amanda was making small talk with a random stranger until she noticed Elizabeth.

She gave her a pitied look.

Elizabeth resumed sitting next to Lucifer despite how confused she was about him. She was torn between wanting to ask him how he felt, starting the conversation that men historically distaste the most after less than a week of knowing each other, or just taking advantage of the time while she had it.

What could it hurt?

Lucifer turned to face her, opening his mouth to speak but Elizabeth cut him off with a wave of her hand, “No harm done. The event is still on.” Her smile was a sincere sign that there was truly nothing to linger on. In the end, it hadn’t cost anything that she didn’t already lose.

Despite her words, Lucifer moved in closer and quietly said, “I am sorry, though.” His warm breath tickled the side of her face, causing her flush to return. Every small action was so intense with him.  In a bold move, Elizabeth turned her head and kissed him as she did at Larmes. It was a short kiss because Amanda was staring at them, but it was also unflawed.

When she pulled away, Lucifer looked sated.

It might have been an insignificant moment in his life, but it meant the world to her.

 “Well, okay then,” Amanda said, eyes almost as wide as the time she walked in on Alice having sex with Brendon after graduation. “Professional relationship, huh?”

Lucifer threw an arm over her shoulders, kissing her cheek in the process, “Miss Walker is the image of professional.”

“I got into the wrong profession, then.” Amanda openly laughed at the situation they had found themselves in. Elizabeth was kissing her client. Amanda was tipsy as hell. Courtney and Alice were probably fighting somewhere, and they’d all managed to run off Kellen in the process.

Elizabeth allowed Lucifer to play with the small curly strands of her hair that’d fallen victim to the humidity of LUX. They all sat in comfortable silence, all lost in their own worlds. Elizabeth loved the feel of Lucifer by her side. His confidence made her more confident, even with all the eyes on them from curious patrons.

Lucifer pressed his lips to her cheek again and Amanda groaned, “I really need to get home to my fiancé. Lizzy, how are you going to get home? I know you rode with Courtney.”

“I can make sure she gets home eventually,” Lucifer responded quickly. “Or you could just stay the night.”

“ _Or_ you could stay the night.” Amanda echoed; the approval evident in her voice.

Elizabeth shrugged, “Maybe I will.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, so this chapter is kinda short mostly because I'm used to writing for an audience and I just don't think anyone particularly enjoys this story (except for a select few, thank you for your support!). I think it might be time for a break. 
> 
> :)


	9. baptize me

“—and that’s the story of how I woke up in New Mexico with Elvis and Cissy Houston with no trousers.” Lucifer ended a rather unbelievable story, considering he couldn’t be older than thirty. Elizabeth still enjoyed the story because it served as a distraction from the fact Alice and Courtney hadn’t returned and her inner thoughts on where she wanted this night to go after her friends left LUX.

Elizabeth rested her head on his shoulder, too ashamed to say that she was exhausted. “Tie Me Down” by Gryffin was playing, which Elizabeth considered to be another odd choice. She was starting to think that her tastes in music weren’t as eclectic as she thought if they were main songs playing at LUX and possibly other clubs.

Amanda, Elizabeth, and Lucifer sat in comfortable silence as the song ended and another started. It was “Ne me laisse pas” by Madame Monsieur. Elizabeth narrowed her eyes, remembering that she had added the songs on her playlist at relatively the same time. “Lucifer?” She asked, skeptical.

“Hmm?” He rubbed his cheek against the top of her head when he turned to look her direction.

“Is this my Spotify playlist?”

Amanda’s eyes widened in recognition, “Oh my god.”

Lucifer straightened himself, pinning Amanda with a look. “Surely, you don’t think _he_ had anything to do with it.” Amanda just laughed, probably too drunk to process his weird ramblings. Elizabeth chose to ignore it. He relaxed, “Yes, it’s your playlist. I wanted you to be comfortable here.”

“That’s…both creepy and sweet,” Elizabeth said, a slow smiling reaching her face. “How did you find my playlist?”

Lucifer’s response was borderline sarcastic, “Miss Walker, there _is_ a link on your Instagram.”

“Wait, my Instagram is private.”

“Semantics.”

Before Elizabeth could push for further details, Alice returned with an angry huff. She was clearly peeved that Courtney had caused a scene on the one night that they were actually experiencing luxury entertainment as opposed to the downright sad club atmosphere at PUSH! (which was looking more and more pathetic by the moment). Elizabeth felt bad because if she had played things differently, Courtney and she could have co-existed without conflict. It all seemed avoidable.  “El, I am so sorry about Courtney, I don’t know what her problem is but we’re going to Uber home. We’re both too drunk to be driving. How did things go with Kellen?”

Amanda, mischievous as ever, pointedly stared at Elizabeth and Lucifer, “I don’t think Elizabeth is too concerned with Courtney or Kellen at the moment’s definitely time for us to leave.”

Alice was confused until she really focused on the affectionate position Lucifer and Elizabeth were in. It wasn’t sinful, it wasn’t even downright adoring, it was just more than Elizabeth ever did in public and too sweet for Lucifer’s playboy reputation. “Oh, um, okay, well, I mean tell me when you get home, alright? I’m serious, El.” Alice looked concerned, if only because she was the stereotypical mom friend of the group.

Sweet Elizabeth + Well-Documented Womanizer = Disaster.

Elizabeth knew Alice well enough that she was privy to her thoughts. She had always been protective of Elizabeth because of her friend’s innocence. Lucifer was definitely trouble, even if he was drop-dead gorgeous.

Amanda wasn’t helping the situation, “If she goes home—what, Alice? She’s a grown up.” Amanda stood up and blew a kiss to the pair, “I’m gone. Love you, behave.” She smirked at Lucifer, a glimmer of mischief in her eyes, “Or don’t, I definitely won’t judge.”

Amanda grabbed Alice by her hand, pulling her away from the couches. Alice yelled over her shoulder, “I love you, please text me…or call!” Elizabeth watched her friends disappear into the crowd.

Lucifer and Elizabeth sit in silence for a while, listening to the music. “Black Beauty” by Lana Del Rey is playing. It’s a slower song, and many of the patrons start to calm down as the electric mood fades into something more romantic. Elizabeth cleared her throat, gaining Lucifer’s attention.

“Yes?” He asked, a smile gracing his lips. Elizabeth didn’t try to resist her desires when placed a warm hand on his face and kissed him. The soft jazzy feel of the song vibrated through her body and set the tempo for their mini-make-out session. Lucifer was the one to deepen the kiss, but Elizabeth was the one to break it.

“Take me upstairs, Mr. Morningstar,” Elizabeth said in a small voice, hoping he wouldn’t ask her to repeat herself.

“As you wish.” Lucifer’s eyes lingered on her lips before he stood up. He offered her a hand so she could pull herself up. He kept hold of her hand as they navigated through the people. Many wanted to speak to him, but he brushed them off with one-liners and smiles. Eventually, they arrived at the elevator. He pressed the up button and Elizabeth exhaled nervously, “Do you like red or white wine?”

Elizabeth considered the question, choosing to be honest, “I’m not much of a drinker.”

“I’ll have to educate you.” Lucifer declared as the elevator dinged. He followed her inside, waiting for the doors to close before scooping her up in his arms. Elizabeth’s legs reflexively locked around his waist as he kissed her. It was thrilling to be picked up as if she weighed nothing. “I’ll educate you on so much.” He promised in between kisses. She didn’t even hear the elevator’s second ding but she felt Lucifer walking them out.

She giggled, “Put me down.”

Elizabeth felt the coolness of wood against her behind as he set her down on the bar in his home. He stepped away from her, moving behind the bar to grab a bottle of something old and probably expensive. Elizabeth had to turn her head to watch him pour two glasses. “I thought you were strictly a whiskey man.”

“I have taste, woman.”  He walked around the bar to hand her a glass of dark red wine. Lucifer stepped back and looked her over. Elizabeth knew that her hair was absolutely wild, and her dress was riding up her thighs, exposing her holster and the phone that she had completely neglected tonight. What she didn’t know was that her lips were warm and swollen from their passion and that the color on her cheeks left her glowing. She didn’t see how lovely she looked in the dim light of his penthouse, but Lucifer did. “You remind me of heaven.”

“How could I ever?” Elizabeth asked, disbelief in her voice.

He took a deep sip of his wine before closing in again. They were always so hesitant of one another, getting caught up and then fleeing. Elizabeth was tired of fleeing. He set down his wine glass by her hip and cradled her face in his hands. It was so sweet that she could cry. Lucifer spoke slowly, maybe even sadly, “One day you will see.”

Elizabeth tried to shake her head, but his hands made it a little difficult. “I think you’ve got me all wrong. There’s so much you don’t know about me.” Her eyes darted to his lips, unwilling to elaborate on the tales of Carina Beauchamp. “Kiss me.”

Lucifer did as he was told.

It started off so tender, but Elizabeth didn’t want tender. She wanted passion before all of this went to hell and he forgot about her. Her hands slid under the shoulders of his jacket. Lucifer had to let go of her face so she could ease him out of it. Vaguely, she wondered how much money she had thrown to the ground when it hit the floor.

Lucifer put a strong hand on her waist and grabbed hold of the hair at the back of her head. Elizabeth couldn’t help but moan when he lightly pulled it. He seemed to find much pleasure in her reactions. Yet, when her hands traveled to the buttons of his shirt, the moment was broken again.

“What’s wrong?” She mumbles, looking rejected.

Lucifer kisses the side of her mouth, “No reason to move so fast. I want to take my time knowing you.” Elizabeth snorted. “Why does that amuse you?”

“Because you’ve been trying to get me naked all week and now…now, I’m ready.” Elizabeth raised her shoulders, letting them fall with a disappointed moan.

Lucifer backs away from her, a wicked smirk on his face. “I never said that we weren’t going to get naked, Miss Walker. I just said I wanted to slow this down.” He started unbuttoning his shirt, eyes challenging her. “Why don’t we take this to the washroom, hm?”

“Trying to say I smell bad?” Elizabeth joked.

“On the contrary, you smell quite good.” Lucifer turns around and walks off. Elizabeth mindfully slides off the bar, careful not to spill her untouched wine. Elizabeth follows him to a room that she assumes is the ‘washroom’ to find him stripping out of his clothes. Her face turns a scarlet color as her eyes rake over every piece of exposed skin.

Elizabeth breathes, “You’re beautiful.”

Lucifer has turned on the water to his large, ornate shower and she can see the steam rolling from it. He’s almost naked, watching her expectantly. Elizabeth walks to the counter, removing her phone, ID and debit card from the holster around her leg. She shivers when she feels Lucifer’s hand on her back. “Let me help.” He says in a low voice and Elizabeth practically melts on the spot.

His long fingers move under her dress, finding the lace of her holster easily. He sinks to his knees as he slides it down her legs, kissing her bare skin in the process. She steps out of it, almost yelping when Lucifer’s hands quickly move back up her body and yanks down her panties.

Elizabeth meets his eyes in the mirror as he stands. She feels his fingers playing with the edge of her dress and she gives him a small nod. As if waiting for his permission, Lucifer lifts the thin material over her head, careful not to injure her. Freed from the dress, Elizabeth’s breathing picks up. She’s never been in a compromising position like this with anyone. Her eyes scan all of her self-proclaimed imperfections.

The small freckle above her lip pretending to be a beauty mark.

The faded scar on her ribs from a time she doesn’t want to remember.

Lucifer reaches for the clasp of her bra, expert fingers undoing it better than she can somedays.

He admires her in the mirror, but he does not touch her delicious parts. “Slow.” He says but Elizabeth isn’t sure if he’s reminding her or himself.  He spins her around and kisses her softly. “The shower is warm enough now.”

Elizabeth takes the hint and walks towards the shower, opening the door. It’s a hot shower but she doesn’t mind. Elizabeth likes heat. She moves under the water, letting it wash away the tension in her body. She hears the shower door open again, and she immaturely thinks about how scandalous it is to be in the shower with a naked man.

A very handsome naked man, at that.

He wraps a strong arm around the center of her body and places an open-mouthed kiss on her left shoulder. Elizabeth relaxes against him, feeling _all_ of him against her. There was a yearning deep in her belly, but she ignored it for the sake of peace. Lucifer moved her out of the direct flow of water and turned her around, so her breasts pressed against his bare chest.

Elizabeth could acknowledge how smooth he was—making her comfortable with his nakedness in a warm and peaceful environment. It was quite clever.

Lucifer opened his mouth to speak and Elizabeth expected something sexual, but instead, he asked, “How did you get that scar? The one on your ribs?”

“A fight with my father,” Elizabeth admitted easily, although the memory was hard to swallow. It was around her 16th birthday and he had come home piss drunk, per usual. He was angry because her younger brother, who was 12 at the time, hadn’t removed his basketball hoop off the side of the street like he was asked. Despite her family’s horrible reputation, they lived in a nice house in a more expensive neighborhood. Her father was even a member of the Homeowner’s Association—that’s why the basketball goal on the side of the road was such an issue.

Their home had to be perfect.

Her father pulled out a knife, always quicker to punish her brother, Owen than her or her sister. He had been sitting down playing a video game. Her father was aiming for his face. Carina was fiercely protective over Owen and stood in her father’s way just as he prepared to slash. Elizabeth ended up getting cut far worse than Owen would have on her ribs. It healed nicely, but only because it was a sharp knife.

The regret formed a barrier around her heart. What had she left Owen to suffer?

Lucifer lets go of her, turning his back to her. She saw two rough scars on his back and gasped. Lucifer seemed to be prepared for her shock. “How— “

“A fight with my father, as well. Although, mostly self-inflicted. You could say we’re estranged although that would be the understatement of the millennia.”

Although he had been prepared for her alarm, he didn’t seem prepared when Elizabeth pressed her soft lips against both scars. His arm flew to the black tile of the shower for support.  Elizabeth wrapped her arms around him as a way to assure him that everything was okay.

In a rush of emotion, Elizabeth told Lucifer everything she always wanted to be told. “You didn’t deserve this. It’s not your fault.” She kisses his scars again for good measure and continues, “If he was any type of father, his deepest regret should be not knowing the man you are or the person you will be because you, on all accounts, are a good person.”

The only sound is the shower as Elizabeth steps away from him, an idea springing in her head. She reaches for an expensive looking shampoo and pours some in her hands. She lathers it in her hands and then steps closer to Lucifer. She stands on the tips of her toes to properly reach his hair.

She massages his scalp to the best of her ability, remembering all the times that she wanted to feel clean and the hours and hours that she spent in the shower trying to reach that goal after she moved out. Lucifer surprised her by sinking to his knees again, allowing her to thoroughly wash his hair. He moaned softly when she scrubbed behind his ears. She wondered if Lucifer had ever known a kind touch, or had he always been surrounded by passion and lust.

Elizabeth tried not to get caught up on the meaning of everything because she didn’t want to think about the inevitable pain and all the things she knew deep down in her gut when it came to Lucifer Morningstar. Almost as if she were clairvoyant, she knew that everything would soon come to an end. She felt it in her bones.

“I’m done.” She tells him delicately, stepping back to admire her work. Lucifer stood up with poise and closed the distance with a mind-numbing embrace. His mouth was hot against hers and moved skillfully, even as he pushed her back under the water. He only stopped kissing her to prevent soap from getting in both of their eyes.

“Allow me to return the favor.” He said, his prior vulnerability quickly morphing into his usual charm.

Elizabeth countered, “And do you want me on my knees as well?”

“All in good time, Miss Walker.” He winked, grabbing the bottle of shampoo she had used, only to squeeze the cool gel directly on her head. Elizabeth laughed as he rushed her, hands eagerly tangling in her hair. She knew the knots would be insufferable in the morning, but she was having fun with him.

She giggled, “I was much nicer with you.”

“Mmm, who says I’m not being nice?” She could hear the laugh in his voice as he tried to shape her hair into a ‘do reminiscent of Cindy Lou Who. “In another life, I could have been an excellent stylist.”

“Don’t quit your day job just yet.”

He kissed her again—so casually that it hurt.

“Come on, let’s get you cleaned up before our bits prune up.”

Elizabeth pushed him away from her, causing him to playfully growl, and stepped under the water. She didn’t trust Lucifer not to get soap in her eyes, especially since he had already tempted fate once. Elizabeth did her best to untangle her hair with her fingers as she rinsed.

“If you could see what I see right now, you would know how much you resemble the Silver City.”

“The Silver City?” Elizabeth asked curiously.

“Heaven.”

“I’ve never heard that term before and I grew up below the Bible Belt,” Elizabeth said, squinting her eyes at him as she stepped out of the water, hair fully rinsed and clean. “You’re not secretly part of some weird cult, are you? LA does weird things to people.”

He raised an eyebrow, amused, “No, I’m not part of some silly cult.”

“That’s actually a relief,” Elizabeth said as he stepped around her to turn off the water. Immediately, her skin missed the heat. She followed him out the shower, eyes searching for a towel. Lucifer opened a cabinet under his sink and handed her a fluffy white one. He, on the other hand, covered himself with a black towel. As she wrapped herself up, she looked down at her dress on the floor. “You wouldn’t happen to have a set of PJs, would you?”

Lucifer shook his head, “Sorry, fresh out, but I have something _much_ better.” Elizabeth followed him out of the bathroom, mentally taking note of where she was walking so she could retrieve her clothes later. She followed Lucifer up the steps that led to his bedroom.  “Take a seat.” He nodded towards the bed and walked off to another part of the penthouse. Elizabeth did as she was told, gripping the towel for dear life. Even after spending a significant time naked with him, her nervousness returned with a fury.

Her eyes landed on the orange chair across from her and she furrowed her brows in confusion.

Lucifer walked back into his room and held up the most ridiculous t-shirt she had ever seen. It was meant to look like an ‘I Heart NY’ shirt, but instead, it read, “I Heart Drugs’ with the heart being a marijuana leaf. He was grinning from ear to ear, “I think this will look elegant on you.”

“Do you, now?” His joke gave her enough confidence to drop her towel in front of him. She took the shirt from his hands and pulled it over her head. The shirt was much larger than her and almost covered the same amount of skin as her dress did.  “How do I look?”

“Edible.” Lucifer smirked, “But, as much as it pains me to say this, I did say we would take it slow.”

Elizabeth blushed at his words, “I actually am a little tired.”

“A little?” He wondered, “I’m surprised you slept at all with the chaos in your life.”

Elizabeth didn’t want to talk about everything going on with Detective Decker and Mimi Tanner, mostly because she knew that it would kill the mood. Especially talk of Chloe Decker just minutes after their moment in the shower. “I need to text my friends—and damn, I left my phone in your bathroom.”

Lucifer mock-scolds her, “Language, Miss Walker. I’ll go get it; you get comfortable.”

Elizabeth crawled onto his bed, kicking the duvet down. _It’s just an adult sleepover,_ she reminded herself. The last time she shared a bed with anyone, she was in college and that was strictly when all of her friends were too drunk to make it back to their respective dorms. At this exact moment, she wished she had dated more when she was in school so she would know how to behave socially.

Lucifer came back with her clothes, cards, and phone. He laid her clothes and cards on the chair and removed his towel. Elizabeth didn’t look away, even though she wished she had because he definitely saw her gawking. She’s definitely seen a penis before, a drawback of a handful of college parties and clubbing. None of them were ever as big as he is.

He got into bed next to her, moving around until he found his ideal position. “Come here.” He whispered; an arm extended to accept. Elizabeth followed his wishes and rested her head on his chest. Lucifer grabbed a remote from his nightstand, dimming the lights in the room until it was dark. The only light source came from the bar area.

He passed along her phone.

Elizabeth had twelve messages.

1 from Kellen thanking her for the night again.

6 from Alice demanding that she check in and confirm that she was safe.

4 from Amanda, three of which concerned checking in and one explaining a trick that relaxes the gag reflex.

1 from the dog walking service she uses saying that Jethro had a good walk and he was fed, and the spare key had been returned.

Elizabeth tried to conceal her phone from Lucifer as she texted her friends back, deciding to leave Kellen’s ‘you’re welcome’ for the morning. She told Alice and Amanda that she was safe and about to go to sleep, and she told Amanda specifically to mind her own business. Elizabeth reached over Lucifer to put her phone on his nightstand after she was done, right next to his and the remote.

As soon as Lucifer started playing with her wet hair, she was a goner. Elizabeth immediately fell asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What :) did :) you :) guys :) think :) ? Hopefully, this was just the right amount of fluff for everyone! 
> 
> I do want to say that I've decided to continue this work mostly because I love it very much. I have a lot planned for Elizabeth Walker including some really shocking plot twists and character developments. All I'll say is maybe Chloe Decker wasn't the only one designed for Lucifer by the hand of God. 
> 
> XOXO, 
> 
> Gossip Girl.


	10. Devilish Minds

Chapter 10:

_Lucifer Morningstar  
Sunday, 3 AM_

Despite going to bed in a beyond peaceful mood, a sense of alarm had washed over his body and caused him to wake. The second his eyes opened, Lucifer saw the source of his unease lurking in the shadows of his room.

Mazikeen.

He rose, sitting on the side of the bed.

“Well, don’t you look cozy.”  Maze purred, appraising Elizabeth. Lucifer’s eyes narrowed as he followed Maze’s stares from over his shoulder. Maze was thoroughly examining the woman and all of her delectable, delicious assets. Elizabeth Walker was stunning, sporting the figure of a pin-up girl—but she wasn’t for Maze to ogle. Not for anyone else to ever ogle in his presence, ever. An involuntary, but possessive growl slipped through his lips. Maze viewed it as a challenge, “You don’t want to share?”

There was a time when he would consider it a great night to share a woman with Maze. Only blood rivaled Maze’s hunger for carnal pleasure. Lucifer didn’t want any part of her fantasy, already entertaining his own fantasies about Elizabeth Walker—some fantasies not even of the sexual nature, but he wasn’t ready to address those obvious issues.

He saw Maze take a step closer out of the corner of his eye.

“No.” The word fell from his mouth as a warning, but Maze was still upset with him. The demon didn’t give a damn about his warnings or threats. In her ignorance, she probably assumed that he wouldn’t follow through with his threats. He _had_ been soft, lately.

Maze was condescendingly brave, “But she’s _hot._ ”

“Mazikeen, enough with the foreplay!” Lucifer chastised, rising to his feet in anger. Maze took an involuntary step back. He pinched the bridge of his nose, a headache forming from the whiplash of emotions he was cruelly being subjected to…vaguely, he wondered if he needed to stay away from women for a while.  

First, the irritating Detective Decker, immune to his charms and still pining for her comfortable marriage. The smart and pretty Detective with a pension for justice that the Devil could admire. She helped give his life a purpose in LA. He enjoyed working with her very much.

Now, Elizabeth Walker with her perfectly soothing sentiments, tempting purity, and heavenly beauty coupled with her familiar past. Elizabeth was a warm and kindred soul that also danced in the glow of distance, longing for companionship but too stubborn and proud to admit it.

If he had a heart, if he was capable of love, he would say the two women were tearing him apart.

He looked down at the sleeping woman, cocked his head as he studied her form. Although Chloe Decker was a surprise—a glorious, confusing surprise, he couldn’t help but think Elizabeth was somehow _more._

Chloe Decker was a flame—something Lucifer had to touch, had to play with because of how fascinating it was. He had to get to know her because she didn’t succumb to his gifts. He had to try harder to seduce her because his usual methods did not work. It started as a partnership based on a requirement to fulfill a curiosity. He obsessively had to know more and ultimately, he developed a weak spot for her based on her noble character and passion for doing what is right.

But, Elizabeth didn’t captivate him because she had some type of immunity or because she had proven herself to him. He saw her, and he wanted her like nothing else in the world. He wanted to talk to her, he wanted to be in the same room with her, he wanted to protect her, he wanted to make love to her, he wanted to hold her while she slept. He _wanted_ her.

It was easy.

Lucifer just wasn’t ready to say it out loud or admit it to the world. He had a reputation to uphold. He didn’t want to give too much of himself away again, only to be rejected by her. He couldn’t take any more rejection. Most of all, he was terrified that it was all temporary. Not a first for him because of his partnership with Detective Decker, but a first for him with someone who wanted him back.

 _I need a drink,_ he thought as he swallowed thickly.

Lucifer started to walk out of the room, expecting Maze to follow suit but once he reached the bar, he noticed that the good little demon wasn’t playing along. Mazikeen was practically leaning on the bed, infecting Elizabeth’s personal space with her animalistic mannerisms. Maze was sniffing her, evaluating her body type and accessing if she was worthy prey. “Maze,” He couldn’t help the gravel that evaded his voice.

Maze looked back at him and finally stepped away from Elizabeth. There was a playful smirk on her lips as she sauntered down the steps and towards the bar, “What? I was just looking.”

Lucifer’s had enough with her insubordination, but he quit Hell for a reason. He was done ruling over demons. He was going to continue the bottle of wine that he started for Elizabeth, that she clearly didn’t care much for, but one look at Maze made him decide to switch to bourbon. He sighed once his drink was poured, “I would prefer you didn’t.”

Even though it had taken him a moment to make a drink, Maze resumed the conversation without a hiccup. Her first question seemed innocent, but it was a trap. Maze asked,  “Oh, you like this one?”

“I like many women.” Lucifer was prepared for her well-crafted interrogation. In Hell, Mazikeen was the best at extracting information from the damned, He watched as her eyes lit up with excitement as he tried to retreat into his reputation, he saw the way it pleased her to have a little fun. Even if she would have balked at the idea when he was her King.

Maze searched his face. Tonight, she had an advantage. Elizabeth laid asleep in his bed and he was exhausted from a night of entertaining with a lack of party favors. He was trying to put his best foot forward. He didn’t want Elizabeth running off.

Suddenly, Maze grinned, “Yet, you like this woman more.” Her tone was frightening, as it should be. It was the tone that she used when she was trying to be friendly. It was false and one of her greatest tricks—men always melted because of that voice, thinking her to be innocent when she was really trying to find out their breaking points and deepest fears. “Or is she a fling?”

“Don’t.” Lucifer cautioned, “You are about to cross a line.”

Maze pretended to pout, “Don’t what?”

Lucifer snapped, but not in the way he thought he would, “Don’t make me lie., Mazikeen!” Instantly, he looked over to his room to see if his outburst had disturbed Elizabeth. The woman was still sound asleep.

Maze looked pleased with herself, having achieved the reaction she wanted. It was a rare moment that she got the best of him, but she took great pride in it. At one point in time, Maze was his closest companion. She knew him in ways that no one on Earth ever could. It’s what makes her so dangerous. Maze concedes, “I don’t completely hate the idea of her.”

Lucifer was done with the conversation. He tried to look as commanding as possible in his birthday suit when he cleared his throat and said, “Maze, I would prefer to talk about what you’ve really disturbed me for.”

“I found Mimi Tanner tonight.”

“You couldn’t have led with that?” Lucifer felt a rush of relief. The Detective could finally relax and stop accusing Elizabeth of a crime. The world would return to normal and Elizabeth could stop feeling so guilty (an observation of his) about her success. “Did you drop her at a hospital or the police department?”

Maze swallowed, “No, I didn’t, Lucifer, because she was dead.”

“Excuse me?”

“Mimi Tanner is dead.” Maze said flatly, “The hacker I occasionally use for our _other_ business was able to track her cell phone’s last transmitted locations based off a series of calls that she received prior to the phone dying. From there, I did some leg work and searched the most obvious places for a body dump. It was optimistic to think she wasn’t dead after the report of foul play.”

While he was impressed with Maze’s investigative skills, he was furious that someone had taken his friend’s life. Mimi was good fun, even though she was selfish and spoiled and apparently a renowned intellectual thief considering all the ideas that she took credit for that weren’t hers. If anything, the woman was just a little lost. Her father had died, her friends were moving on with their perfect lives, and she wasn’t cut out for the event planning industry.

It didn’t give her a right to be a bitch, but it did warrant some sympathy. Mimi Tanner died not knowing who she was, or what her genuine passions in life were.

 “She didn’t deserve that.” Lucifer finished his drink.

Maze agreed, which shocked him, “It was a violent murder. She’s been dead for days, probably since the night she went missing. Her body was left in an abandoned warehouse.”

“I need you to show me.”

“Are you insane?”

“Detective Decker thinks Elizabeth killed Mimi. Her judgment is clouded because of a private source.” Lucifer sighed heavily, “She’s not seeing clearly. Everything she does will be biased in this case. I need to look at the scene first to get a head start.” He longed for the opportunity to be comical in this situation, but the two women that were complicating his life were pitted against one another. He needed that situation resolved so he could think clearly.

“Are there any other suspects?” Maze asked a little fire in her voice at the thought of hunting again.

Lucifer paused to think about the case and the information the Detective shared before he interrupted her inquisition. “Mimi’s family knows the chief, but the Detective knows someone that interacted with Mimi frequently. After she was handed the case, she contacted said person and was directed straight to Miss Walker.”

“That still doesn’t seem like enough to build a case on.”

“The Detective trusts her friend, sure, but after she looked into Miss Walker’s background…everything manifested. Well, in conjunction with the fact that Mimi was consistently promoting Elizabeth and planned to make her partner.” Maze was trying to process the information. She looked just as confused as him until he remembered what had been said in during the interrogation, “The Detective is working with the narrative that Elizabeth has been blackmailing Mimi into promoting her, which anyone that has had the pleasure to work with Miss Walker knows that Mimi is more of a _mascot_ than anything.”

Lucifer poured another glass while Maze considered the information. The demon paced back and forth, on to something but not ready to present to the class.

“The Detective is usually much more reasonable, yes?”

“You have seen her attire, that has been established.”

Maze spun on her heels, facing him with a smirk, “What if it’s the source?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I wasn't going to include any Lucifer POVs per my original outline, but I decided that this wouldn't be a complete piece without one. 'Same Team' is about to come to an end, but luckily, I've already outlined the next two parts of this series featuring Elizabeth/Lucifer. 
> 
> UPCOMING: Back to Elizabeth, revelation on WHO killed Mimi, some more fluff, and then a possible plot twist? Enjoy!

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, everyone! 
> 
> If you're familiar with my other writing, welcome back. If not, welcome! I'm still working on my other pieces although I did take a break to finish my poetry book. If you're interested in my book (titled Ceaselessly) hit me up. As always, thank you for reading and thank you for your feedback and support.


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